


Pred and Prejudice

by Cheezbuckets, ConsumingRomance (CameoAmalthea)



Category: Furry (Fandom), Original Work
Genre: M/M, Predator/Prey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-06-19 03:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15501402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheezbuckets/pseuds/Cheezbuckets, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CameoAmalthea/pseuds/ConsumingRomance
Summary: For the most part predator and prey got along. They didn't exactly hang out together and lately tensions were on the rise, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. It wasn't like prey were being hunted down and eaten, not legally anyway. But it was an election year and all eyes (and news cameras) were on the Predator's First Candidate who promised to make the country great again, for predator's anyway.But the election wasn't until November, and for now it was summer and summer meant possibilities. For Alex, summer meant the chance to finally relax. He'd gotten through his first year at University with decent grades and hopefully that meant his parents would let him have a break for once in his life. For Roque, it meant a chance to earn some extra money before starting college in the fall. He was the first in his family to go to University, and if he had to clean houses to help afford it then so be it.Neither imagined the possibility of falling in love, especially not with someone from a completely different world. Rich boy predator and the poor little prey boy that cleaned his parent's house? Like that could ever work out.





	1. Alex

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Better Than Ice Cream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15501015) by [CameoAmalthea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CameoAmalthea/pseuds/CameoAmalthea), [Cheezbuckets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheezbuckets/pseuds/Cheezbuckets). 



The summer sun streamed through the bedroom windows, letting in the morning light. On the bed, a maned-wolf boy rolled over and groaned. He had no intention of getting out of bed anytime soon. After all, this is what summer vacation was supposed to be all about. 

As much as Alex liked living away from his parents, the freedom, parties, and friends he got living in dorms, it wasn’t bad being back in his parents’ home for a little while, quiet and cozy and familiar. It didn’t hurt that they were working the first day he would be back, so he had the house to himself, no pestering about what he’d been up to and what his plans were when he got back to school.   
  
He’d gotten in late, sneaking in the back door with his old key and falling asleep nearly the instant he’d hit his old bed, fluffy tail curled comfortably around him. As a result, Alex had no intention of even attempting to get up early. When he finally woke up, he had laid, prone and silent, for maybe five minutes before his ears pricked up at the sound of something downstairs. He tried a moment to disregard it. It was probably just his imagination or something outside, but then the sound unmistakably became footsteps across the floor.

He heaved himself up, pushing his long red hair away from his face. He didn’t bother changing out of his pajama pants or even putting on a shirt. He told himself that he really wasn’t too worried about whoever or whatever had gotten in. He was more concerned about the disruption of his quiet day alone. It was probably just one of his parents back from work for some reason. Maybe they’d forgotten something or were going to take the day off.

Or it could be a burglar. 

Maybe he should find a baseball bat or something, but that would be in the garage. If his parents hadn’t thrown out the old sporting equipment. Well, there were knives in the kitchen at least, and he was a pretty big guy. Well tall anyway, skinny as anything, but height alone might be a bit intimidating. 

He considered shifting. Trying to remember what he’d learned about forms. Like most people he spent the majority of his time in his human form, the only sign of his nature his ears and tail. The half-form might be good for fighting, that gave him teeth and claws combined with the bipedal height and reach that came with arms. Then there was full Animal form, if nothing else he could run away pretty fast in that form. If he needed to.

Better see exactly what was going on before formulating a plan. He crept down stairs carefully and headed towards the kitchen. When he rounded a corner to the kitchen, he stopped dead in his tracks. Someone was standing in the middle of the room sweeping the floor. Short and slight, blond hair, long ears that ended in soft round curves, cute as hell. Definitely not a break-in, definitely not what he expected to wake up to. 

“Uh... Hi?” Alex scratched the back of his head, leaning against the frame of the entry.

The boy jumped and let out a small cry of surprise, clutching the broom.  He turned to face Alex, and then took a deep breath. The boy removed an ear bud from one long bunny like ear. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, “You startled me. I didn’t know anyone was home. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Nah, I needed to get up anyway,” said Alex. “Breakfast time and all.” Shit, maybe not talk about breakfast with someone you could eat. “Just didn’t expect anyone else to be here. So I guess you could say you startled me first.”

“I’m with the cleaning service?” He said, forcing an awkward smile. “I hope you haven’t called the cops. I’ve got my work badge if it helps.”

Alex had to laugh a bit. “Cops? No. Don’t worry about it.” This kid was a real worst case scenario kind of guy wasn’t he...Although if Alex had panicked and called 911 that would have been awkward.

His parents really should have warned him about this. He  _ kind of _ remembered them mentioning hiring a cleaning service and how nice the young man was...They hadn’t mentioned that he was cute. But then again they probably wouldn’t…

Okay, probably time to stop staring, just act natural. There was a surprise hot guy in the middle of the kitchen and Alex was shirtless. This was fine, totally normal. 

“Well that’s good,” said the boy, “no worries then.”

“Yeah, you don’t exactly look like a burglar. I wasn’t gonna call the cops before checking what was up. Also, you can put the broom down, I’m not gonna attack you.”

The boy blushed, and lowered the broom. “Sorry, reflex,” said the boy. “No one warned me anyone would be home today.”

“Yeah, my parents didn’t say you’d be coming today either.  But they were in bed by the time I got here last night.” Maybe they had mentioned it last time he talked to them, but he’d forgotten. “I’m just going to sneak into the fridge and grab something to eat. I’ll try not to get in your way.” He got out of the entryway and made a beeline for the fridge to see what there was to eat as his stomach gave a low growl.

“No problem,” said the boy, sounding relieved. Had he actually been worried Alex might attack him or something? Why were prey so nervous all the time? Not all preds just ate people.

“Sorry for scaring you, bunny.” He winked. “Name’s Alexandre, by the way, but you can call me Alex.”

“I’m Roque ,” said the boy. “And I’m not a bunny, _ fox. _ ”

After looking at him a silent moment with a raised eyebrow, Alex couldn’t help laughing again. If this guy had been working for his parents for any length of time, there was no way he genuinely thought that they were foxes. “Ouch, alright, Roque . You’ve got those kinds of ears, that’s all. Didn’t mean anything.” He seemed fun already.

“Right, ears. I get that a lot,” he said. “My tail isn’t anything like a rabbit though.” He turned, giving Alex a view of a fluffy curled tail. Alex did his best not to check out his butt, but his best wasn’t very good. 

“Sorry for the mistake,” said Alex.

Roque  turned back around and fiddled with the broom and chewed on his lip, giving Alex plenty of time to enjoy the view. He didn't quite meet Alex's gaze, eyes focusing on his chin or over his shoulder or somewhere above his head while he clearly went through some sort of internal struggle. Alex could see him thinking it through-- say something polite and unfriendly to get the bosses' son off his back, or go the friendlier route and chat him up in the hopes that he wouldn't tell his folks he'd snapped. Alex gave him all the time he needed.

“And I’m sorry for snapping,” he said, although the apology sounded forced. “I hope you don’t think your parents hired an assh- a jerk.”

Alex had to laugh at that. “I’m not my parents, you don’t have to worry about swearing. I just got back from my first year at university and believe me I’ve heard worse.” 

“So you’re home for the summer I take it?” asked Roque , his tone dry. A forced politeness that didn’t quite reach customer service voice level. 

“Yup,” said Alex, rooting through the fridge. He grinned when he found some avocados.  Alex grabbed one and moved to the pantry to find some bread. “Nowhere else I really felt like going this year, so I’ll be here.” 

“And I’ll be in twice a week, Monday and Friday. So no more startling each other.” 

Alex popped bread into the toaster before getting a knife for the avocado. He looked back at Roque  and winked again. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then.”

Roque  stared at him, a faint blush rising in his cheeks. “I-I should probably get back to work. Not getting paid to talk...” The boy turned his attention back to the task at hand, pausing for a moment.

Alex grinned, half watching Roque  as he got a plate for his avocado and toast before sitting at the kitchen island to eat, still facing Roque . He looked so embarrassed now. Guilty, too,  like they really shouldn’t have been talking like this. Really, he was even cuter when he was flustered. He wasn’t sure he should say so, though; prey got weird sometimes when a predator called them “cute.” 

Alex thought it was a dumb thing to get upset over, but he didn’t want to risk Roque  getting mad at him, especially after the bunny comment.

“Hey, um…” Roque  broke in, “I hope you know I meant when I said I was sorry. I overreacted to the bunny thing. It just...happens a lot and you get tired of correcting people. Most people haven’t even heard of viscacha. You wouldn’t believe all the ‘aren’t you too big to be a rodent’ unless they’re the sort that think bunnies are rodents too. Sorry, I’m babbling.” 

"Hey, I get it, no need to explain, I'm sorry about the 'bunny' thing. Gotta admit, I've never heard of viscacha."

This won him a smile from the boy.  He was even cuter when smiled.

“Well thanks for not saying it sounds like a sauce,” said Roque . “I get that a lot too since it rhymes-”

“With sriracha. And probably bad pick up lines talking about it fits since you’re hot...ahem, I mean, as an example.” He forced a wide grin. Was Roque  cringing? Okay time to change the subject. 

“ _ Anyway, _ ” He said, emphasizing the word. “I like meeting animals I’ve never heard of before. I guess you mean you are a rodent, then.” He leaned his chin in his hand as he continued eating and watching Roque  clean.

“Yeah, we’re more related to mice than rabbits,” Roque  explained, “Not that we’d fit in most rodent sections of the city. Viscacha are actually from the same part of the world as Maned-Wolves. So we have that in common.” 

“So we share roots? Cool. My parents keep talking about sending me there to learn about our heritage and crap, but I’ve managed to avoid that by pretending I’m busy with school. But maybe one day you and I could go together.” 

Was he being too blunt now? God, his parents would have a fit if they saw this. To them, prey were perfectly nice people, but the idea of predators and prey getting romantically entwined was just Not How Things Were Done. Alex didn’t care, a cute guy was a cute guy, but he’d have to tone it down if they were around. He sighed and sat back a bit as he finished his breakfast, grinning. “I guess that means, in a past life, I’d be chasing you around.”

“You seem pretty intent on chasing me in this one,” Roque  quipped, “We just met. Don’t you think it’s a bit soon to be inviting on vacation?”

Alex’s grin grew as he stood to take his plate to the sink. “It’s not like I have a date in mind, just thought we could take advantage of what we have in common.” He leaned back against the counter, cocking his head with a raised eyebrow. “Was that a no? We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, so I thought getting to know each other could be a fun way to spend the summer.”

“Is this how rich people get to know each other? ‘Hey bro, let’s just go backpack across foreign countries.’” He looked up from his work as he spoke. “Anyway, in case you haven’t noticed. I have a job. So my summer is going to be spent cleaning houses. Which I should be doing now.”

Alex laughed to hide the sting of the rejection. “Alright, alright, sorry, didn’t mean to get in your way.” He impulsively gave Roque  a pat on the shoulder as he passed, heading out of the kitchen. 

Roque  looked back at him as he went. “Hey, it’s your house. I just...shouldn’t be getting distracted about dates or not dates...wait a minute….you meant date as in a set time...not whether or not the vacation would be romantic.” The boy cringed and looked like he’d like nothing more than to sink into the floor he was scrubbing.

“Yes, I technically meant time, not romance.” He winked again. “Let me know if you need any help. Just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use a vacuum.”

“I am getting paid for this, you know,” said Roque . “Don’t let your parents think they can just rope you into doing chores instead. Don’t worry about it, Alex. Think of it like I’m an employee and you’re a customer somewhere you hang out. You wouldn’t offer to help me make the drinks if I worked at a coffee shop.”

“Hm.” This one was making it hard to flirt with. “For you, I just might.” 

With one last wink, he left to go back to his room and get dressed at least halfway decently. He shot a couple friends quick texts assuring them that he’d gotten home safely and reminding them to bring him back a cool souvenir from their vacations. He then went back downstairs to sit in the living room and play some games, trying to figure out the right way to get to properly talk to this stubborn Roque . He expected his summer vacation to be lazy and boring, so he had to at least give a summer fling with a cute blond a solid try.


	2. Roque

Roque breathed a long sigh of relief when Alex left. Well that hadn’t been...too awkward…

On the bright side  it could've gone worse. It could've been a nightmare, like something out of a vore porno. Cheesy lines while swallowing him alive or shifting and tearing him apart. He could just imagine the headlines: Entitled Rich Boy Has Cleaner For Lunch, Has To Hire New Cleaners After Making a Mess. 

He shook his head. That was stupid.

It was illegal to eat prey, and definitely not ok to eat your staff. But for all he knew Alex’s parents would be more concerned with having to find another housekeeper than what Alex had done. Illegal or not, most cases went unreported and plenty of preds got off without jail time. Wouldn’t want to ruin a fine young pred’s life just for following his natural urges. Besides, the prey was asking for it.

Roque didn't doubt that there were preds around who would be happy to bite first, deal with legal fees later. Roque shivered. Yeah, it definitely could've been worse. 

Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have been so on edge, judging a complete stranger who hadn’t done anything to him.  _ Hey I just met you and I’m going to assume you’re a violent criminal _ , not exactly fair. It was just...strange pred. You didn’t know if a pred might turn out to be the type to force someone down their throat. 

His employers were decent enough, but there were plenty of preds who saw prey as beneath them. And having to go from sweeping the floor to scrubbing on his hands and knees probably fit all sorts of submissive stereotypes. It hadn't helped that Alex had watched him so closely as he worked with more than a passing interest.

Maybe that’s why he’d been a bit standoffish. He didn’t want to give Alex the wrong idea. Even if Alex would never eat him, he could push him for other things. Things that Roque would be hard-pressed to say no to if he wanted to keep his job. And Alex might not even realize he wouldn't be interested in those  **other things** , especially if he thought that Roque was basically a bunny. EVERYONE knew what they said about bunnies.

But all things considered, aside from the staring, Alex had been a perfect gentlemen. No inappropriate suggestions or unwanted touching.

For a second there, Roque hadn't been sure if Alex was actually flirting with him or if he had just been trying to be friendly but ended up really awkward instead. But then Alex had said 'for  **you** , I just might,' and that,  **that** was flirting.

And the funny thing was Roque didn’t really think he minded.

Roque caught himself smiling a dopey, dream half smile as he thought about those words and Alex’s smile and - _ No - stop it _ , he told himself. He was at work and any flirting was definitely inappropriate. He couldn’t afford to be messing around. Not while he was on the clock and most definitely not with the bosses' son.   
  
Of course, maybe they could meet up sometime  _ outside _ of work. No rule against that. 

_ Ugh _ but what would his grandfather say? ‘ _ Don’t go messing around with preds, you’ll end up getting drunk and wake up inside of their fur. And who's gonna help you? Cops don’t care about us. They’re preds too and I’d bet half of them would do the same if they had a chance. Say it’s your own fault and maybe it is if you hang around-’ _

Roque pushed the imaginary conversation formed of half remembered rants out of his mind. Alex was cute, but Alex wasn’t the kind of person someone like Roque could date. Maybe if he’d been someone else or they’d met somewhere else. Maybe in another life, but not this one. Better to set a boundary.

Or, you know, just ignore Alex.

“Do your job and then leave,” he murmured to himself, then shifted down to his half form. Not full animal, but less human and closer in size to his animal form. Smaller to slip paws under the fridge to scrape out any dust and grime.

Of course, emotions felt rawer in this form, not as bad as full animal, but heightened. Emotions like the warmth he’d felt when Alex was kind. ‘I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble’. Offering to help him with the work. Almost as if he didn’t want to give the impression he thought he was better than ‘the help’.

Roque chewed over that thought as he cleaned. It was reckless and stupid and he was an idiot for even *thinking about it, but..... why did dating him have to be such a bad idea?

***

Time passed quick enough, and before Roque knew it, his three hour cleaning session was done. He worked this house from 8 to 11, which gave him enough time for lunch and to get to his next house. 

_ Focus on work,  _ he told himself,   _ not on if he should say goodbye and set a boundary or just leave and hope the silence was enough. _

Roque hadn't seen Alex again since that morning except in passing, but he could hear the sound of some sort of video game coming from the home theater. Hopefully it was the sort of game that was very distracting and you couldn’t pause, which would allow Roque to just slip out without having to speak with him.

Because he really didn’t really trust himself not to flirt back or to actually say no. Because he was stupid and this whole thing seemed kind of romantic-- Cute, if a bit spoiled, rich boy acting all friendly to someone like him. 

_ He’s just messing with you,  _ he told himself. 

It was time to go.

He began gathering up his cleaning supplies, and at that moment he heard a cheerful whistle and the sound of heavy footfalls. He looked up: Alex was heading right towards him. Roque froze, not even breathing and then Alex walked past him and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“How’s it going?” asked Alex.

Roque forced himself to relax.  **Right.** Alex was too friendly to ignore him. “I’m about finished up,” he said, “So... I’ll see you Friday, I guess.”

“I guess. Unless, maybe, you’d like to see me again sooner.”  Alex’s smile was warm. “I’d like to take you out sometime. If you’d like. When you’re not busy.”

“You would?” Roque asked. The response was automatic, dreamy and eager. 

“Yes, I would,” he grinned and Roque couldn’t help but notice what big sharp teeth he had. There’s was something hungry about his gaze. But was it a dangerous hunger, or just desire? He casually took the water bottle and poured what little was left over his hair, shaking it off. “Summer’s pretty hot, you know. The least you can do is find someone cool to spend your time with…”

Roque’s heart raced as he watched the drops of water fall from his tangle of long hair down onto his chest where the rolled over perfectly sculpted muscles- no! He needed to stop staring right now. 

_ What am I doing?  _ He asked himself.  _ Why do I sound like a love struct freshmen who can’t believe a senior just noticed their existence? Why does he have to be so damn hot! No - I am not going there. I can’t! _

Alex stretched and leaned against the wall languidly. “But, you know, if you don’t want to...” He shrugged and gave Roque an easy smile.

_ Why did Alex have to be so nice? Boundaries Roque, boundaries, _ he told himself. He took a deep breath. “Look, I work for your parents. I think we should probably keep things professional.” He was not going to be some meek prey maid fantasy.

Alex’s smile faded, but only a little. It became less real and more forced. “Right, right,” he said, he nodded, “Well...I mean, you know where to find me if you change your mind. Or maybe I could give you my number? _ For professional reasons _ , of course.” He flashed a teasing grin.

_ Just like a pred not to take no for an answer. _ Roque took a deep breath and put on his best, customer service smile and voice. "Thanks for understanding. I don't think I'll need your number _ for professional reasons _ , but I'm very flattered. Really."

Alex sighed and gave a bit of a dismissal wave. “Alright, no problem. Sorry for pestering you.” He padded off towards the TV room again.

Roque breathed an inward sigh of relief. Saying ‘no’ to his client’s son might have ended poorly. Hell, saying ‘no’ to any pred could… Sure, Alex seemed like a nice guy, but plenty of “nice guys” could do a 180 if they didn’t get what they wanted.

Although now he felt even worse about having to say no. Maybe it could have been fun. 

Alex looked up as he headed for the door. “See you Friday.”

He gave Alex a smile, a real one this time. “Yeah, I’ll see you then.”

  
  



	3. Alex

Where had he gone wrong? Between their first encounter at breakfast and the time that Roque  left, Alex hadn't been able to think of anything to say... or **_if_ ** he should say anything at all. He wanted to say something. It had been hard to even play his game, he was so distracted.

 He got that asking Roque  out wasn’t exactly uncomplicated. Maybe his eagerness had made him move too soon. Asking a guy out right after meeting him when he knew he’d be seeing him again was a bad move. It was just, he **_knew_** he'd have to ask Roque  if he wanted to hang out when he wasn't working while they were alone in the house. He knew he'd have to do it before either of his parents got home. What if they decided to come home early? They did that sometimes, working from home for the afternoon.

His parents...that was another problem. 

Alex suspected their unexpected telecommuting afternoons were because they didn’t trust him to be alone in the house. Like they thought he was gonna throw a party on a Monday or something. Or maybe they just wanted another chance to lecture him about the more productive things he could be doing with his summer.

 _‘I work for your parents.’_ Yeah, Alex knew that. He also knew his parents might not want him dating a prey kid from the cleaning service.

They were all right with him dating guys. It was just he had to date the _right_ sort of guys. They’d loved Slaine, his best friend since forever. Slaine had been his first boyfriend and his first ex. Slaine was the “right sort.”

They were different species, but they were both canines and he came from a good family with plenty of good connections. For his parents, everything came down to a sort of power-play game, and advancing your social or economic position was the only way to win. For them, it was a matter of practicality: There wasn’t any advantage in dating prey, especially not a penniless prey guy who scrubbed toilets for a living.

Alex hated that bullshit. He wanted to date people because he liked them, not because of what they could do for him. He just wanted to have fun, and his parents would never understand that.

Then again, his parents didn’t have to know about them dating. Alex was an adult, nineteen, old enough to do what he wanted without permission and Roque  was at least sixteen and not their concern.

He paused, thinking that over. Just how old was Roque ? Did he really want to date a high school kid? Well, maybe just for the summer. Three years max wasn’t that big of an age gap. Roque  might have been older, anyway. It was hard to tell since Roque so pretty he'd probably always look young. He was pretty short too, and not just because Alex was taller than average. So really, he might be even closer to Alex's age, and that wouldn't be a bad thing. They were both old enough to make their own choices and Alex’s parents shouldn’t matter.

But they did matter, Roque  had **made** it matter. " _Keep things professional_." Right. That was the logical thing to do.

Alex knew where Roque ' worries were coming from. Who knew what his parents would do if they found out about a relationship-- if there even **was** a relationship? Fire Roque  on the spot? Kick Alex out?

Then again, even if they didn't care or overreact, it would be easy enough to make sure they didn't find out. As long as Alex didn't do anything while Roque  was working, or say anything in front of his parents, they'd have no reason to suspect anything. He and Roque  could figure something out around Roque ' work schedule.

He'd already managed to keep it professional this morning, trying to be considerate and remember that Roque  was, in fact, working. He’d secretly kept an eye on Roque , glancing out the theater room’s open door every so often to see what he was up to, waiting for the right moment to make his move. He wasn’t going to bother him, just wait until he was taking a break or finished up. Alex had hoped that if Roque  wasn't focused on his job, he'd be more receptive to his offer.

Alex had also put a lot of thought into what he would ask and how he would ask. He figured that Roque  had to be saving up for something, given that he'd mentioned working all summer, so a nice, free dinner would be tempting enough, right?

Wrong, apparently.

Was it the way he’d ask? He thought he'd been very careful and considerate by only saying ' _take you out_ ' and not mentioning _'dinner'_ at all. If he'd accidentally said " _take you out for dinner_ " for example, instead of " _take you out TO dinner_ ," well, Roque  might've taken that the wrong way. ‘ _I want to take you out for dinner'_ could easily become _'I’d love to have you for dinner, as dinner'_ if Roque  was being particularly sensitive. Maybe he should've mentioned the free dinner if it was, like **over** dinner. _I’d like to get to know you, maybe over dinner. Somewhere nice? Your pick?_

Then again, maybe somewhere nice would have been too much-- especially if the problem was that he moved too fast. But he wanted to give Roque  a reason to go, to give him a chance. Agreeing to dinner so Alex could prove that he was nice and just thought that Roque  was cool.

Alex headed to the fridge and pulled out a carton of chocolate fudge ice cream. He opened the cabinet to grab a bowl but thought better of it, instead just reaching for a spoon and taking the whole tub back to the tv room.

He sighed heavily as he sat down. He’d spent so much time planning their date it'd never occurred to him that Roque  would say **no.**

And maybe that was the reason it was so hard to just accept the ‘no’ and move on. He'd spent the morning planning where they'd go (out of town, so that no one they knew would cause a problem over the pred/prey thing), and trying to think of things they could talk about (school for Alex, maybe find out more about why Roque  was working).

But all his planning had come to nothing. He’d asked and Roque  said no. Then repeated it just to be clear. No number. Roque didn’t want anything to do with him….or did he?

The way Roque  had responded at first seemed so excited. _“You would?”_ Like he was shocked Alex liked him, but it was the best surprise he’d had in a while. Alex could have sworn he’d seen him smile then. A dopy half smile that gave Roque  a sort of dreamy expression, before he’d quickly replaced it with his bland, professional expression. Alex ate another scoop of ice cream, thinking about that switch.

So, maybe Roque  actually was interested, but he wasn't willing to cross the line into 'probably not the best idea' dating habits. Maybe ' _I work for your parents_ ' wasn't a convenient excuse, but a regretful explanation. Because even when he'd said no, he'd given Alex another smile, bigger and surer and most certainly genuine.

Alex sighed, remembering that smile. It could light up a room. Despite the sting of rejection, Alex had found himself grinning back like idiot. That smile made him feel like he could do anything, although he'd had enough self-control not to push his luck one more time as Roque  left. Roque  had, in no uncertain terms, turned him down. Alex didn’t want to turn into some stereotype pred lecher, stalking prey into the streets because they seemed like easy targets.

A sudden headache drove his thoughts to a crashing halt. Ugh, brain freeze. He looked down at the carton. There was enough for one, maybe two more spoonfuls, but he’d done a number on it. Shit, he hadn’t meant to eat that much. When his mom saw he was going to get a lecture on ruining his dinner and cavities. God, he hated when she acted like he was a pup. He was a grown man!

...A grown man sitting in his boxers while he played video games, eating ice cream out of the carton and feeling sorry for himself.

He had to let this go, or maybe make other plans for Friday morning. Except that would mean being up, dressed, and sometime before 8 am. He didn’t even do that during the school year, and he did not want to do it during summer. Maybe other plans could just mean sleeping in really, really late so there wouldn’t be any awkwardness.

He scooped out the last of the ice cream before setting the carton down and getting back to his games. Time to let it go and stop thinking about Roque  so life could get back to normal.

* * *

 

Hours later, Roque  was STILL on his mind.

He’d never considered before how hard it could be not to think about someone. Because if you made a conscious effort not to think about something, you ended up thinking about it as that thing you didn’t want to think about. Like, should he avoid Roque  for the rest of the summer? Not look at him not speak to him? Was that polite, or was thinking about NOT thinking about him and planning his day around trying not to bother him obsessive in and of itself?

One thing was for certain: it was more than a bit creepy to schedule his life around some guy he just met. Better just to act natural, and if natural for him was friendly and maybe a little flirty...well could anyone really fault him for being himself?

Ugh, why was life so complicated?

He was actually relieved when he heard the garage door open signalling his mother was home. They could talk about her day and he could help her with dinner, and that would take his mind off not having his mind on Roque . A day full of video games certainly hadn’t distracted him.

“Alex!” she called, “a little help please?”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he called as he turned off the system. He looked at the empty carton of ice cream...better put it in the waste basket for now and take that out to the garbage bin later, hopefully before she noticed it.

Alex found his mother in the doorway of the garage, holding the door open with her hip as she juggled groceries. He darted forward to take some the bags. “Here, let me get those,” he said.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” she said, giving him a smile. “Did you have a good day? Well, plenty of time to talk about that later. There’s more groceries in the car, plus some yard signs I need to put up.”

Alex nodded, letting her pass through to the kitchen so she could start putting groceries away. He headed into the garage to see what else there was to bring in. He hoped she’d picked up more avocados, or at least bananas. He’d seen an industrial-sized thing of protein powder in the pantry, but he needed more than that to make a decent smoothie.

He popped the trunk and saw a pile of yard signs. They were dark blue with thin red lines framing campaign slogans in bold white letters: “Carnivores First!” and “Great Again! As Nature Intended”. He rolled his eyes.

“Isn’t it a little early for yard signs?” asked Alex. He picked up the groceries. Obnoxious slogans could wait, better get anything that needed to be in fridge put away. Once he was sure he’d gotten all the food, he tucked the signs under one arm and carried them inside. He hoped his mom didn’t expect him to help put these up.

“It’s never too early, not once our party has a nominee,” she said. “Especially after such a divisive primary.”

Alex did not like politics. Alex did not want to really talk about politics. Why had he opened his mouth to say anything? “Well, at least you and dad won’t be fighting anymore,” he said. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised you’re supporting this guy now. Didn’t you tell dad voting for him was an embarrassment last Christmas?”

“No, I said some of his remarks were embarrassing to the party, which could hurt us in the general election. Hopefully, now that he’s the candidate he’ll be more...presidential.”

“Right, yeah, somehow I doubt a reality TV star can manage presidential. Besides, no matter what he says, there’s no way he’ll win. He wants to legalize eating prey,” said Alex, “I don’t feel like anything he says will get him their vote.”

“Alex, don’t exaggerate,” scolded his mother.

Alex didn’t think he was exaggerating. His father had kept the TV on a constant stream of conservative news last summer and during Christmas break. Alex tried to think back... the speech seemed bit rambling (even just the snippet the news kept airing on repeat) but he was pretty sure it had included something along the lines of ‘ _people are saying-- good people and I can see where they’re coming from-- they’re saying we should just go back to eating prey. Why not eat them, at least that way they’d contribute something._ ’ Then something about crime and prey being responsible, but that some prey were good people.

“What Dognal meant was that prey have a lot of children, which means they have a lot of mouths to feed, which means that many of them turn to crime to support their families," she said. "And it's mostly preds' tax dollars that pay for all of it. I’m sure he wasn’t serious about _actually_ eating prey, just that preds bear most of the burden and don’t get enough in return. That’s why your father likes him so much, he tells it like it is and our taxes are ridiculous.”

“So we should eat them,” Alex deadpanned.

“So they shouldn’t take advantage,” she corrected. “A lot of people can see the point he’s trying to make. That if we could eat them, at least our tax dollars would come back to us. But he’s not serious, it’s just political hyperbole. He’s just going to make sure preds are treated fairly. Besides, I don’t have to support everything he says to support him over that chinchilla woman. And it’s not about one issue, Alex. You’re not even old enough to really worry about taxes yet, I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Right,” he said. He really didn’t want to talk politics. As much as he didn’t want to be seen with the things, at this point he’d do anything to get away from this conversation. “So should I go put these out in the yard for you, then?”

“Thank you,” she said brightly. “I’ll start dinner. Ostrich or chicken? I got ground ostrich so we could do burgers or tacos? Or I could roast the chicken, do up some sides if you’d rather have that?”

“Burgers,” he called as he headed out to the yard. He moved quickly, stabbing the metal stands into the lawn and leaving without worrying too much about where he put the signs or if they were straight. Let his parents fix them if they cared that much.

When he returned to the kitchen his mother was shaping the meat into patties. “Can I have a fried egg on top and avocados?” he asked.

“Since when did you get so fancy?”

“Come on, I’ve been living on dorm food,” he said. “And I’ll help cook.”

“Do I want to risk a kitchen fire?” she asked, then laughed. “Kidding, kidding. Why don’t you start cutting the avocados while I finish forming the patties.”

“On it,” said Alex.

“And you can tell me about your day,” she said. “So, what were you doing?”

“Oh, you know, relaxing. I need to unwind a bit after finals, right?” he asked. “I met the cleaning guy, I didn’t know we had one. Where was that when I was still here?”

“ _You_ were the maid service when you were still here and it was called chores. Now that you’re away, your father and I get a little help. He’s a nice boy.” Her voice was warm and approving, like Roque  was some sort of feel-good story on the news. “A real credit to his sort, you know? So hard working.”

“Yes, wouldn’t want him to lose his position just because I’m back for the summer,” said Alex. “So he can keep the chores.”

“He does a better job than you did anyway,” said his mom. “But you really should do something productive this summer, you know?”

Alex groaned. How did he keep falling into conversations he didn't want to be having? Well, at least they weren’t talking about Roque  at length.

“You haven’t told me about your day, yet,” said Alex. “I’ve been away for so long, and I miss hearing my darling mother tell me about her day.”

“Anything to avoid talking jobs, Alex?” she laughed, but then went on to vent about things at the office.

They continued to talk as they prepared the food, and when his dad got home and they sat down to dinner, he got an earful about his dad’s office and commute and the latest sports stuff. His dad asked him if he’d thought about getting a job but didn’t push it, and the rest of the evening went pretty well. Roque’s name never came up and Alex didn’t want to make it a big deal anyway. He was going to concentrate on _not_ thinking about Roque, right? So probably best not to mention him again. That way, it’d be easier for everyone, Roque included.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Roque

Friday morning, Roque  pulled up in the company car, a tiny hatchback that was plastered with advertising for the company in garish colors, and angled to park on the road in front of his client’s house. Right in front of several campaign signs.

He felt his stomach drop when he saw the signs. Suddenly he was feeling very unwelcome in that house, even though he was there to work. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised. They were rich pred people, that was his demographic. It was just... they’d seemed really nice and he hoped maybe they were progressive enough to see beyond that typical pred-prey stuff.    
  
Now more than ever, he knew it was probably a good thing he’d turned Alex down. He could never date anyone who supported that orange jackal. Not that Alex necessarily supported his parents’ politics, but Roque  wasn’t about to ask. He sighed heavily, and hopped out of the car to gather his supplies. 

He entered in his code at the front door, and waited as the electronic lock whirred and opened the door. He was sort of dreading seeing Alex now, but it was early enough he probably wouldn’t have to worry about that for a few hours. 

He found himself tiptoeing into the entryway. It was so big and empty, barren in that stark sort of way rich people liked to call minimalist. He felt exposed, the place was too open, it felt unsafe.  Why did he feel like a thief sneaking in here? It was the same house. They were good employers. But now he felt unwelcome, maybe hated behind his back or conditionally tolerated as long as he walked a clear subservient line. 

_ Just do your job, and remember to breathe.  _

* * *

Roque  didn’t see Alex at all that that day-- was he even home? Roque  even checked the garage to see if there was a car in the third spot. He did so quickly since he wasn’t supposed to be in there-- and he didn't want to get caught and accused of being up to something. A third car was still there, sitting in the dark. He shut the door and got back to work.

He felt kind of guilty. He hoped Alex wasn’t hiding in his room on his account. This was Alex’s home, he shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in his own space. Roque  also didn’t like the idea that Alex didn’t want to talk to him at all anymore-- It sort of hurt, like Alex was blocking him from his life completely just because Roque  had told him ‘no.’ 

It reminded him of middle school when someone had outed him and after that no one would talk to him. But now it was because he didn’t want to date a guy--well didn’t want to date  _ this  _ guy…. More precisely, because he  _ did _ want to date this guy but couldn’t because his paranoia meant he wasn’t allowed to do anything remotely uncertain or exciting. He remembered the signs in the front yard and shivered. Or potentially dangerous.

Except...thinking about Alex made him happy. The idea of them together made him feel sort of warm inside. He'd spent the week thinking about Alex and got through his days imagining scenarios where things could be different and he'd been able to say yes. Then his nights were filled with dreams about Alex...dreams that never come true because he’d never done anything like that with anyone and he certainly couldn’t think about having something like that with Alex.

Roque  knew a relationship with Alex was... problematic to say the least, and that he should be glad Alex was respecting his boundaries and leaving him alone. But did it have to be this alone? He left the house without seeing Alex once, and wondered if Alex had been thinking about him, too.

* * *

He spent the weekend trying to  _ not _ think about Alex, and he’d tried not to get his hopes up when he returned to the house first thing Monday morning. He actually saw Alex, up and dressed before Roque  had gotten out of his car. He passed Roque on the way out without so much as looking at him, which further supported the feeling that Alex was avoiding him. 

He didn't see him again that day.

* * *

Alex was finishing breakfast when he got there on Friday, only to head upstairs to apparently sit out Roque ' cleaning session in his room. Roque  tried not to let it get to him. But found himself calling out to him.

“Hey, Alex?” he called

Alex paused, turning back to look at him.

“You know, you don’t have to avoid me,” he said. “Really. It’s your house and I...I don’t hate you or anything. In fact you’re pretty nice and I appreciate that you’re trying to be respectful but you can still talk to me and be out here doing whatever it is you normally do.”

“Oh,” said Alex, rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. “Um...yeah..sure.” He then turned to head upstairs. 

Roque  sighed heavily. He guessed it was too late to even think about being friendly with Alex. He decided to focus on work as he hoisted the bucket of hot water and mixed his cleaning solution. The company’s motto was getting things done the old fashioned way, on hands and knees. He wondered if maybe the reason so many cleaning services were staffed by prey was they tended be smaller, better to get closer to the ground. Especially if they shifted to half-form. 

He got into a rhythm of scrubbing and lost himself in the work. Soon he began to sing softly, careful not to be loud enough to wake Alex. 

_ “Country roads, take me home, West Furginia”  _

“Good looking and a good singer? That is just unfair,” came a familiar voice. 

Roque  jumped, startled out of his scrubbing as he turned to look at Alex in surprise.In the process he slipped on the wet floor and reflexively grabbed at the bucket pulling it over in the process. 

“Whoa!” Roque  cried, just before the water splashed over him. He shifted in alarm as the bucket overturned, assuming a now-soaked fuzzy half-form. 

“Whoa, are you okay?” Alex asked through barely contained laughed. He walked over and offered out a hand, grinning. 

Roque  made a grumbling sound almost like a small growl and glared up at Alex. His soaked ears curled back in annoyance as Alex continued to chuckle.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” said Alex, “you look so cute when you’re annoyed.”

Roque  brushed aside Alex’s hand and got to his feet on his own. “I’m fine,” he said. 

"Sorry there, dude, didn't mean to scare you... again.”

“"I wasn't scared!" he said, unable to suppress the slight squeak in his voice. Alex's grin widened at the sound, and Roque ' ears fell even further back. He didn't even know they could  **go** that far back, but Alex managed to rile him up with one stupid (And admittedly good-looking) smile. "I wasn't scared! You’re just...really quiet and sneaky. Why were you sneaking up on me?”

“I wasn’t? I was just walking and you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. I thought prey were supposed to be good at that. I don’t know if you’d survive long in the wild.” Roque ’s glare darkened and Alex held his hands up. “Hey - kidding! And I’m sorry for laughing. This is just the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all day.” 

He tossed a hand towel at Roque , which was big enough to use as a towel in his current form. It flopped over his head, and Roque  grabbed it, grudgingly drying off.

“Funniest thing you’ve seen all day? It’s like ten in the morning,” muttered Roque  as he scrubbed the water from the insides of his ears.

“Yeah,” said Alex, “This is literally the first funny thing I’ve seen today and it’s hilarious. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get my breakfast and then start my workout.” He turned with a grin and opened the fridge, head disappearing behind the door for a minute. “I’ll try not to sneak around too much.” 

He winked again as he pulled out a container which he put on the counter. He opened it to reveal half a rotisserie chicken, then turned to grab a plate from a cupboard.

“You’re not going to eat that whole thing for breakfast, are you?” Roque  asked, halfway joking, just to have something to talk about other than his embarrassing fall. “Didn’t you already eat?”

“Only some cereal, and I’m still hungry,” Alex laughed again. “Besides, I need protein for my workout,” he replied as he pulled the chicken from the container with a fork.  He put it on his plate and sat down at the kitchen island, still watching Roque as he started to pull the meat from the carcass.

Roque  wasn't sure what to say about that, so he decided to focus on composing himself enough to return to full human form. He was still a bit damp, but the towel had helped. He hung it up, then picked up his brush to get back to work.

But Alex was still watching him, and he could feel heat returning to his cheeks. An entire leftover chicken for breakfast? Was that really normal for this house? He knew he should get back to work, but it was hard to focus now with Alex’s distracting presence right behind him, watching him.

“Is me scrubbing the floor  _ really _ that interesting?” asked Roque , dryly.

“Not particularly, but there’s not much else to watch,” Alex said. He tore off a chicken leg and proceeded to lower the whole thing into his mouth. He closed his teeth around it and pulled the bone out, sucking it clean. Licking his lips, he asked, “Is watching me eat that interesting?” 

“Kind of…” Roque  admitted. “Do you normally eat like that or are under the delusion that that’s attractive?”

“Mostly just wanted to see your face,” said Alex. “Since you were already staring, I figured I might as well give you something to look at.”

Roque ' ears flattened as Alex laughed again, and he deliberately turned around to break eye contact. Of course, that meant there was a pred-- a very alert, very **_watchful_** pred-- at his back, but he really, **_really_** didn't want Alex to see his blush. He cleared his throat and spent the rest of Alex's second breakfast focusing on scrubbing the floor.

 

Alex finished eating soon enough and disappeared upstairs, only to reappear a few minutes later in skin tight yoga pants and completely shirtless.He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before heading into the living room, well within view of the kitchen and dining room.

Roque  starred.

He couldn't help it. Apparently Alex hadn't been joking about working out, and it was just his luck that the workout session was going to be right in front of him. He really, really did not want to get caught staring. 

Alex laid down a mat in the living room,and began his stretches, warming up in slow, steady movements. The open-floor plan meant there was nothing to stop Roque ' gaze from following every shift of muscle, and every twist of Alex's hips. 

He coughed, trying to cover up his embarrassment, but the noise got Alex's attention (as if he  **hadn't** realized Roque  would be able to see him, the jerk.) "What are you doing?" he asked, glad to hear that he sounded disinterested and definitely not distracted by the way Alex bent his body into an A-frame.

“Yoga, what’s it look like?” asked Alex. 

“I thought you going to work out meant….like… going out... like… I mean, don’t you have a gym membership or a country club or something?”

Alex grinned, pulling back into a pose that showed off his well-toned arms and abs. Roque  flushed as Alex watched him, head tilted in interest “Trying to kick me out of my own house, Roque ? Am I that distracting?”

“N-n-no,” he said, biting his lower lip as he glowered. He couldn’t  _ quite _ bring himself to look away, though. 

I don’t need to go all the way to the gym, I can do push-ups and sit-ups here," Alex replied, turning into a new stretch. "If I need some weights, then maybe I'd go work out on the machine, but I don’t want to get too into it right after eating. Need to give my body time to digest.

He held still in the pose, giving Roque  a good view of his profile and the taut line of his body. From all appearances he was totally engrossed with the form, but Roque  could see the smile on Alex's face because he **_knew_** that he had Roque ' full attention.

After you eat your body diverts blood flow to the stomach when you’re digesting, but if you’re working out, then you need blood flow to your muscles," he said. "If you’re trying to do both at the same time, you might make yourself sick. So I’m just going to warm up with some nice, gentle stretches.

He flowed down shifting into a position where he lay on his belly and lifted his chest upward on his arms, chest arched backwards and then he lifted himself up so only this thighs touched the mat.

Roque  forced himself to look away, sighing darkly under his breath. Alex had to be the single most obnoxious guy he had ever met in his life, ever. If Alex wasn’t in the room, Roque  would have made an ‘ugh’ sound to rival a middle school girl. As it was, all he could do was force himself to focus on his work. Still, he couldn’t help looking up occasionally and being a bit awed by Alex’s flexibility.

After the yoga ended, Alex moved on to crunches, which were easier to ignore. But then he started on push ups, and that wasn’t as easy to ignore. Alex’s back curved into his butt in a very distracting way. He’d also had opted to keep his knees on the mat in favor of half-push ups, rather than full length. Roque  was pretty sure Alex would be able to do normal pushups if he wanted to, but he bit his tongue to keep from saying anything that could be construed as flirting. He tasted blood when Alex started lowering himself down to the mat, adding a twist of his hips to the simple exercise that made it look slightly obscene. Roque  was definitely staring now.

_ Damn it - now I’m the one acting like a creep. _ Roque  scolded himself.  _ He’s just going about his business. He probably does this all the time. Me being here isn’t any reason to break up his routine.  _ Although he would need to vacuum in the living room eventually, so Alex would have to get out of the way at some point.

At the moment Roque ’s cell phone rang. He scrambled to pull it out of his pocket and checked the number. This afternoon's client, so he had to take this.

"Hello," he said, pausing his work. "Roque ! Oh, I'm so glad I caught you-- I'm sorry but we've had a family emergency and I have no idea when we'll be back in town. I've already called the agency to handle things, but I wanted to make sure you knew not to come by."

"Alright, thank you for letting me know," Roque  said, then added, "I hope everything's ok."

He slipped his phone back in his pocket. Then he realized Alex had stopped his set to look over at him.

"I'm sorry," said Roque . "it was another client. I'll get back to work." He didn’t want to look like he slacked off.

Alex chuckled at Roque ’ apology. “No worries, I’m not going to get mad at you over a phone call.” He paused, getting to his feet. “I don’t want to pry, but is something wrong?”

Roque  shook his head, smiling softly. "No...well, maybe," said Roque , "for my afternoon clients. They canceled on me, family emergency. I hope everything's all right.”

Alex’s ears perked up a bit. ”Oh yeah? That’s too bad. Um...” He scratched the back of his head, looking away for a moment. He went quiet for a second, as if thinking, and then gave Roque  a smile. “Uh, if you have nothing else to do... Maybe you could stick around for lunch? Hang out a little?”

Roque  froze.  _ Stick around for lunch _ . Damn it. Had he just told a pred no one would be expecting him anywhere this afternoon? All of his worst fears he’d had in the very beginning came flooding back. 

Alex winced and held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like  _ that _ ,” he said. “Geeze, now you look really terrified.”

“I’m not- I’m sorry,” said Roque . “It’s fine. Sorry.”

“Don’t lie to me,” said Alex. “Did I really put it like that?  Of course you took ‘ _ stay for lunch _ ’ wrong. You’re prey, I’m a pred, and I should probably make a mental note ever use the words ‘you’ and ‘for lunch’ or any other meal in the same sentence.” 

Roque  actually laughed, some of the tension easing away as Alex tripped over himself as he tried to backpedal on his poorly phrased offer.

"Yeah, so... lunch is us, eating together," Alex clarified, slight flush on his cheeks. "Lunch is not you and it would be nice to have some company."

"Um...I...thank you for the invite,” said Roque , cautiously, “but I couldn't. Like I said..."

“I-it’s no trouble if you want to. I, uh, was thinking of ordering a pizza, and the place I like only does full size pizzas and if I do that I’ll end up eating the whole thing myself. Better to have someone to share with, right?”

Roque  smiled nervously. He didn’t want to have to tell him no again. Not when he regretted having to turn him down the first time. He also really did like pizza. 

Alex seemed to take his hesitation as no response meant no, and he deflated a little.“I sound like an idiot…” said Alex. He hung his head. “I’m sorry. I talk a lot when I’m nervous. I’d just...really love to just hang out when you’re not busy working. Nothing else.” He held up his hands in front of him as if to surrender. “I promise, I have no intention to try to eat you or any other unwanted advances.”

Roque  blushed, ears flicking back. He didn’t want to seem hysterical. Jumping at every shadow like it was about to gobble him up. He hadn’t really thought...maybe he was just a little worried but he didn’t want Alex to think that he was paranoid or that he’d never trust him because he was a pred. Even if he really didn’t fully trust most preds.  “I- I didn’t think-”

Alex chuckled. “Chill, I’m kidding, I’m kidding-- well, not about the invite. Offer still stands, if you’re interested.”

"You're really generous," said Roque , looking away for a moment before meeting Alex’s eyes again. "I mean...I guess if I'm off work I'm free to do what I want to do. Hang out with a friend?" He smiled softly. "It's just weird, hanging out somewhere I work. Like, I'm not… And you’re...You know…” He shrugged and gestured vaguely “We're kind of from different worlds."

Alex’s response was immediate-- his ears perked forward, and tail gave a hopeful wag as he realized that Roque  hadn’t said  _ no _ again. Roque  felt himself returning that smile. 

He couldn’t say no, not when it would make Alex’s ears and tail droop and wipe away that smile. Sharp teeth or no, Roque  wanted to see that smile. Yeah, they were from different worlds but did that have to be a bad thing? Different worlds coming together, something new, dangerous maybe...but maybe not so dangerous and definitely exciting. Could staying for lunch really hurt?

 


	5. Alex

_ Friend? _ That was already an improvement. Alex smiled back. “Nothing wrong with different. I’m sure we can find things we have in common, bridge the gap.” He realized suddenly that his tail had started wagging, and his face quickly turned red as he willed it to stop. Stupid, traitorous thing. “A-anyway, I’ll, uh, let you go back to what you’re doing... I, uh, should probably hit the shower, just let me know when you’re done, and we can hang out.”

"Yeah," said Roque. "Back to it. I'm supposed to be done around noon."

Alex nodded and went to the fridge, giving his head a quick shake to shake off the embarrassment when it was hidden behind the door. Why was it whenever he tried to play it cool, his dumb tail betrayed him? He grabbed a chilled water bottle and downed it as he made his way back upstairs. He was panting, but he wasn’t sure if his heart was racing from the exercise or from how nervous he felt.

***

The cold shower helped, and by the time he'd toweled off and dressed, he figured it had to be close to quitting time for Roque. Hopefully he wasn’t too far behind thanks to Alex’s distractions.  Alex hadn't planned to start his day by bothering him, but there was just something about Roque that made Alex want to see what would happen next.

Still, he drew the line at coming back downstairs in nothing but a towel, opting instead to dry off and fish out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from his closet. But his hair wasn't completely dry yet, so he headed downstairs with a towel around his head. He was still scrubbing out the last of the dampness when he returned to the kitchen, finding Roque gathering up his cleaning supplies. 

Alex gave his head a final shake, letting his hair cascade around his shoulders.“So you, off now?” asked Alex, smirking at the look he was getting.

“Yeah,” he said, “I just have to pack up my things and wash up.” He hoisted a plastic bucket, filled with various cleaning supplies and cradled it under one arm. Then he turned to find the broom and grabbed it with his free hand. Alex wanted to offer some help, but he didn’t want to make him feel like he couldn’t do his job. 

 

“Great,” said Alex, trying to sound cool and not too eager.

 

Roque bit his lower lip and looked down a moment. “Yeah, great...I mean, if you’re sure you still want to hang out?"

 

“Yes, I’m sure,” Alex beamed, though he silently reminded himself to stay cool about it,  _ don’t embarrass yourself _ .  He did a quick tail check, willing it to stay still as he tried to think of what they could do that wouldn't scare off Roque now that he'd decided to stay.  “Do you like video games? Or would you rather just watch TV and chat?  You know what? Why don't you just meet me in the theater room after you finish up and we'll figure it out then? ” Man of man, it felt awkward standing around while Roque worked. It would have been so easy to give him a hand instead of letting him carry everything by himself. Two sets of hands were better than one, right?  

 

_ Let him work and don’t interfere _ , that was the rules right? Roque could do his job and he didn’t need help, and Alex didn’t want to insult him or get in the way of his routine. A little bit of talking and going about his business in front of Roque this morning hadn’t been interfering right? 

 

“Yeah, sounds good,” said Roque, he didn’t seem particularly excited and Alex wondered if he would have said anything Alex suggested sounded good. He hoped Roque didn’t think he had to pretend to enjoy himself to make Alex happy. Then again, Alex knew from experience that Roque was more than capable of saying no and being blunt.

_ Stop overthinking everything _ . Alex wandered into the theater room, which really lived up to the name: home theater. Nice recliners, projector, a collection of films and streaming services too-- everything they needed to have a nice afternoon together.

He heard the door open and shut. Roque had to put the stuff in his car. Once that was settled, he’d come back inside and there’d be nothing to do but enjoy an afternoon together. Better place that pizza order. He pulled up the app on his phone, vegetable supreme should be good, right? 

He could wait and ask Roque what he wanted, but the whole pretext was he was ordering a giant pizza anyway. Besides, once Roque came back Alex had a feeling he’d be too distracted to remember to place the order.

Alex couldn’t believe he was actually going to get to spend the day with Roque!  He'd spent half the week analyzing everything he'd said that first day, replaying what he'd said in his head, trying to figure out what he should've said instead. The other half of the week, he's racked his brain trying to think up what he should say when he saw Roque again-- or IF he should say anything at all. 

  
The combination of anxiety and excitement he'd worked himself into had him awake far earlier than normal each day Roque was scheduled to work. It had become like a Roque-centric schedule. He'd spend the morning laying in bed with his eyes closed, listening to his parents getting ready and heading to work. One day he left before his parents, just to avoid seeing him since Roque wanted space. 

Then today he'd argued with himself whether or not he should get up before Roque arrived to make a good impression, or if that would make him seem creepy, or like he was trying too hard.

Ultimately, his stomach won out. He woke up early and his stomach thought that being awake should mean breakfast, and besides, he was tired of hiding in his room and skipping a meal whenever Roque was around. He thought he could slip down, say a polite good morning, make a good impression, and then go back up to his room. No long conversation, because the effort wouldn’t be worth the risk of coming off wrong. So the plan was simple, grab a quick snack then go back to bed and stay there.   
  
But Roque had thrown off that plan the moment he stopped him and told what an idiot he was being. Maybe not in so many words, but Roque had noticed he'd been avoiding him and told him flat out he didn't have to. That was a relief.   
  
Of course, he wasn't sure what to do from there. Do what he'd normally do? What he'd normally do was flirt. Also, he’d have more for breakfast than a yogurt cup. So then the plan became go back down, eat something, maybe work out...show off a little. Or not...it wasn't really a plan. It was a thought that he wasn't going to follow through with until he heard Roque singing.   
  
He'd pointed his ears towards the door to listen. He wanted a to hear more. Get a bit closer. Maybe he had snuck up on him, just a little bit, if only because he didn't want to interrupt the singing right away.  Then of course he’d had to open his big mouth and ruin everything.

He couldn’t help it, Roque’ voice was so beautiful that he had to say  something, although he hadn't meant to sound like such a dick when he spoke. He certainly hadn't meant to give Roque a heart attack. Then again, it was almost worth it, given how adorable Roque looked when he was soaking wet.

Still, he felt bad about it. Maybe he should offer Roque the shower? Roque had dried off, but hadn’t really gotten a chance to clean off, had he? Alex could lend him something to wear while he washed his work clothes and grabbed a shower. Of course, suggesting anything that meant taking off clothes would probably be too easy to misinterpret and come off sounding the wrong way. ..

Although his little work out routine had probably already done that.  He'd tried to act natural, but natural for him included flirting. Especially around someone as cute as Roque. But he really had meant it as a friendly sort of flirty. Even if Roque wasn’t up for a summer fling, being friendly would still be a good alternative.

Maybe he needed to stop showing off so much, but it was just too much fun, trying to get a reaction. And besides, Roque had agreed to hang out, so something had to be working, right? 

The door opened and shut again, and in short order Roque came into the theater room, eyes instantly going to the collection of game systems. 

“You have a Classic? Those are impossible to get! They only released a few and they sold out instantly, how did you get it?” he said, “Oh man, I had an old one as kid my brother salvaged from a dump and fixed up. That brings back some memories.”

Alex grinned and nodded. “Yep. Got it last Christmas. No idea how my parents managed it, probably paid way too much to some price gouger online.” It was nice seeing Roque suddenly so enthusiastic, especially about something Alex was enthusiastic about himself. 

“Here, all of the games for that are in here.” He pulled out a drawer and gestured to the tidy row of cartridges. “Pick whatever you’d like to play,”

Roque knelt down, looking over the games. “There’s not a lot of two player games though,” he said, going through the cartridges.

Alex shrugged. “That’s alright. You can play and we can talk, or we can swap turns.  I can play them whenever, so I don't mind watching you." He didn't want to admit that he'd enjoy watching  _ Roque _ , because that might come off a little creepy, but Roque didn't seem to notice. He seemed to relax as he looked through the various game titles, apparently recognizing a lot of them. Alex was already  making a mental note of the mention of Roque’ brother; something to ask about once they were settled in and having fun.

"Thanks, and if I get stuck I can ask you for help," said Roque cheerfully. He pulled out a game. "The third one was always my favorite. Well, aside from World, but that was on the super."

“It’s like you’re reading my mind.” Alex grinned and took the game, getting a controller and turning on the console. “You can go sit.  Hey, before we start, do you want something to drink? I need something, so I don’t mind getting something for you, too.” He didn’t really need something to drink, but he was worried Roque would say no if he didn’t say he was going to go anyway.

"Sure, are we allowed to drink in here?" he asked. 

“I mean, I wasn’t when I was a kid, but I think we’re both responsible enough not to make a mess.” Alex chuckled and turned to the door. “What do you want? We’ve got water, juice, soda...”

"Soda's good," said Roque. "Or whatever you're getting."

“Okay. You go ahead and get started, I’ll be right back.” 

As he headed into the kitchen, Alex let out a quiet sigh of relief. Good, things were going well this time. He just had to not do or say anything stupid, and Roque would hopefully be up for hanging out through the summer. Maybe even more, but Alex didn’t want to get his hopes up there.  _ Just take it one step at a time, man, and see what happens. _

He got a couple cans from the fridge and went back, handing one to Roque with a smile. He settled back onto the couch beside Roque, making sure not to sit too close, but there was a companionable closeness to sharing the couch.

Roque nodded in thanks and set the can in the couch’s built-in cupholder, eyes bright with excitement and transfixed on the TV screen.  Alex could see that he'd already made it part way through the first level, the character breezing through each obstacle as though Roque had been playing the game all his life.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself already,” Alex remarked with a raised eyebrow and crooked grin.

Roque chuckled and shrugged. “I haven’t seen this game in years. It just reminds me of all the time I spent playing as a kid. Though I had to fight my brothers to get any time with it.”

Alex’s grin grew a bit. Now that he wasn’t working, Roque seemed perfectly happy to open up about personal information. And, without even noticing it, Alex relaxed enough to forget about flirting or trying to impress Roque and could just enjoy hanging out. 

“So, you’ve got more than one brother?”

“Yeah, six and one sister,” Roque replied. “It wasn’t easy growing up in a small house with that many boys. I think my mom wished she’d had more girls, but the first pregnancy was twins and the second was quads. She kept trying for a girl and got one on the third pregnancy along with another boy. After that I think she was done having kids.”

“So you’re a twin or a quad?”

“Quad,” said Roque, “My two older brothers, Hodei and Hector are twins. They’re about four years older than my brothers and me. You’d never guess they were twins, they don’t look alike and they’re complete opposites personality wise. Then with me, my mom had basically had two sets of identical twins at once. I guess it’s what happens if two eggs split, double twins. Then there’s the youngest set of twins, Lane and Rayen, are like six years younger than me.”

“So there’s another person who looks just like you running around? Does it get confusing?”

“Well, he smiles more,” said Roque.

Alex had to laugh at the thought of such a big household. “Oh, man, that sounds nuts! My parents could barely handle me alone, yours must have gone absolutely crazy trying to keep all of you under control!”

“Well, one of my brothers is in jail,” Roque admitted with a shrug, and then blushed. His jaw quickly clamped shut, and his eyes flicked from the TV to look at Alex for just a moment.

“Oh.” Alex stilled for a moment, silently looking at Roque. His curiosity was immediately piqued, but was asking about imprisoned relatives really appropriate for some he’d known for a few hours cumulatively? He scratched the back of his head as he made himself turn to the TV. “That must be rough.”

“I’m sorry,” said Roque with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward. It’s a good thing, really. He’s an asshole. My other brothers aren’t bad at all-- they’re great! Zeru and Ortzi are complete sweethearts, and Hector and Hodei nice. Hodei wants to join the military but I’m not sure if a rodent will be able to go far… He’s... small...but he tries.”

Alex shot him a smile. “No worries. They all sound nice. I’m sure Hodei can do it if he’s set his mind to it. Rodents can be tough.” Compelled to reveal a little about himself and to try to lighten the mood, he started to blush a little. “Don’t, uh... Don’t tell anyone, but I got into a fight with a rodent a few years ago and he, uh... He kicked my ass.” He pointed to a scar on his arm that had once been a nasty bite, too embarrassed to look at it himself. “So, y’know, size doesn’t always matter.”

“Man, that looks like it hurt.” Roque paused the game to look at it.  “What did you do to piss him off that bad?”

Alex cringed a bit. He’d forgotten the depths of how embarrassing it really was. “Well, it was back in high school, and he was a total jerk and I was a bit of a troublemaker, so I...made a crack about his family to get under his skin.” He laughed self-consciously. “Worked a little too well, as you can see.”

“What did he do to piss you off then?”  asked Roque. Alex turned to look at him, and Roque flushed a little under that stare. “ Sorry, it’s just hard to imagine someone like you getting picked on, especially by a rodent.”

Alex shrugged. “I wouldn’t say he was picking on me in particular or anything, he was just really obnoxious, showing off in class and talking like he was better than anyone else. I just got sick of listening to him and wanted to piss him off to get back at him.”

“Is it wrong to think you might have had that coming?” asked Roque. “Depending on what you said… but I can imagine.” He looked down then and away, biting his lip. “I mean...I’m sorry.”  He paused the game and set down the controller, unwilling to meet Alex's eye. “I should probably go.”

Alex looked over at Roque with surprise. “What? Why? You don’t have to.” He put down his can of soda on the table beside Roque', feeling his stomach clench with disappointment.  “I mean, you can if you want to, but you don’t have to.”

“It’s just… I don’t want to say something I’ll regret. You’ve been really nice, and I don’t want to piss you off.” Roque rubbed his neck, avoiding Alex’s eyes. “And I might have been a bit harsh saying you had it coming. It’s just, I mean… I’ve… had people say stuff about my family.”

“What stuff?”

“What do you think? I saw the signs out front...You know what people say. Prey have more kids than they can afford, if they can’t control their numbers maybe someone else should do it for them. As if having big families would justify-I’m sorry... I mean, I know that you're, um... You know what, I should just go."

Alex went quiet for a moment then sighed and leaned back in the seat, shaking his head. “Roque, I’d never say that! As for the signs…” He sighed heavily. “Let’s just say I don’t agree with my parent’s political views but since I sort of want to keep living here I don’t really argue...I’m sorry.”

“Alex-”

“Look, I know how it looks-- and I know how it sounds when I SAY 'I know how it looks', but believe me when I say that I don't agree with everything that 'people say.' I would never ever say anything like that. As for what I did say... well you’re probably right, maybe I deserved to get punched?” Alex said, laughing softly even as he cringed. “I mean, it was a long time ago, I don’t really remember what I said but I know it wasn’t exactly nice, so I probably  _ did _ deserve it.” 

Honestly, he did remember calling the guy a ‘garbage-eating rat’ even though he knew that the guy was really a shrew. But he didn’t want to say that out loud and risk making Roque think even worse of him. Especially after the whole “bunny” thing when they first met, he didn’t want Roque to think he made a habit of intentionally mis-identifying prey species.

“So you’re not mad at me?”

“What? Never,” said Alex. “I mean, that guy back in high school was an asshole, but I’m not as hot-headed as I was back then. Deliberately making a shrew mad at me was a low point. I’m not going to get mad at you for calling me out on it.” He smiled again, hoping to reassure Roque enough to stay.

“A shrew?” asked Roque, actually chuckling. “You do know shrews aren’t rodents right?” Roque shook his head, still laughing. “You really are hopeless, aren’t you? I mean, it’s ok, you’re trying to be sensitive about all this but, wow…”

“Oh... Uh...” Alex grimaced a bit as he blushed again, internally cursing himself. He was just giving Roque an increasingly bad impression of himself. “S...sorry, I, uh... Wasn’t really thinking...” He blushed darker, realizing that he just made himself sound stupid.

Roque smiled as Alex fell over himself apologizing. “Hey, it’s all right.” The words came through light laughter. “ I mean, don't get me wrong, you're kinda ignorant, but.. I don't think it's willful, or that you really mean anything by it. Shrews are actually predators, they’re venomous and in the bad old days they ate mice. I guess it’s easy for you to just lump in everything smaller than you as a rodent, but it’s not too late to learn.”

Alex looked up as Roque laughed, still deeply embarrassed, but he couldn’t help smiling a little. “Yeah, I guess... I mean, either way, I know that people smaller than me can still do a lot of damage, so it was a good lesson that I’m not about to forget.” He gave a playful grin despite his blush. “I mean, you’re small, but I would never mess with you, just in case. I’d bet you could bite pretty hard with the right motivation.”

“Would you mess with me otherwise?” asked Roque. “Your teeth are a lot bigger than mine and sharper. I don’t think I’d win. Not that I’d ever want to fight you.”

Alex chuckled softly and shook his head. “Of course not. I like you, and I wouldn’t want to hurt you. I know I’m an asshole, but  I wouldn't bite you unless you  **asked** me to.”

Roque half choked on his soda. He set it down as he coughed. 

“You ok?” asked Alex, eyes wide.

“Yeah, I’ll be all right,” he said, “I just...didn’t expect you to joke like that.”

“Clearly you don’t know me well enough yet.” 

“I don’t really get why you like me so much,”  said Roque, although he had a light flush on his face, and was fighting back a smile. He picked up the controller again, shoulders relaxing.

There were so many things he could say, but before he could get any of them out the doorbell range. “Oh, hey, that’ll be the pizza. Hope you like vegetables.”

“I’m a herbivore,” Roque deadpanned. 

Alex forced a laugh and made for the door to sign off on the food. Why did he have to suggest pizza. The doorbell ringing really killed the moment. Then again, Alex wasn’t really sure what he would have said...Maybe this would give him more time to think it over.

He opened the door and took the boxes from a bunny girl who looked up at him wide eyed, like he just might have her for lunch instead of the pizza. Those damn yard signs, he’d be lucky if no one spit in their food.

When he returned with the box Roque was once again engrossed in the game. Maybe he regretted asking Alex why he liked him?

“Food’s here,” said Alex, opening the box. “I’ll go grab some paper plates. Do you need another soda?”

“Sure,” said Roque, “thanks. Do you need any help?”

“I got it,” said Alex.

He returned with plates and a paper towel roll in case they needed napkins. He picked up a slice, folded it in half and lowered the dripping cheese goodness into his mouth. 

“You know,” he said, between bites. “I don’t understand how you couldn’t see what anyone would like about you. You’re pretty likeable.” 

“Really?” asked Roque, taking another bite.

“Well yeah, you’re real cute, you seem nice. I know we haven’t  known each other all that long, but we’ve been having fun so far, right?” He paused to take another bite and wash it down with a long swig of soda. 

“I think it’d be worth it to keep spending time together, see what kind of chemistry we have.” Alex turned to flash a smile and a wink. “I also like how you’re not afraid to stand up to me. Makes you even more attractive.”

Roque blushed redder than Alex’s hair or fur. He looked down, the fur on his ears standing on end, body tense. From what Alex could see off his expression as Roque stared at the floor and it honestly looked like he was praying for the couch to swallow him whole if that meant escaping this conversation.

Alex bit his lip.  Now he’d done it. He’d over stepped and made him uncomfortable. This was harassment, wasn’t it? He was being a creep. _ Fuck! _

“Ax-Alex, we talked about this,” said Roque, s hrinking further into himself. He put his slice of pizza down and shook his head.  “We can’t...I shouldn’t even be here.”

“Uh, sorry, I...didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He silently cursed himself for pushing yet again then did his best to smile at Roque again. “Who says you shouldn’t be here, though? I live here, and I invited you to stay for a little. My parents aren’t going to mind.”

“I’m not exactly the kind of person your parents would want you to be friends with, Alex. You might be able to ignore their views, but I can tell what they think of prey like me." Then he paled, and quickly added. “Don’t tell them I said that, please.”

Alex looked at Roque with a smile for a second then shrugged. “Most of my friends aren’t the kind of friends my parents want me to have. I don’t exactly care to live up to their expectations. Never have, never wanted to.” He winked. “This won’t be the first time I’ve kept things from them. Try not to worry so much.”

“So it’s less that your parents aren’t going to mind, and more they’re not going to know,” said Roque  but he didn't sound angry about it, just thoughtful. “But I guess mine won’t know either. So that’s fair...”

Alex’s smile fell a little as he shrugged. “ Look, what I mean is that they really won't mind you hanging out with me after you’ve finished working. You’re certainly not the worst person I could be spending time with by their standards.” He playfully ruffled Roque’ hair. “ They just don't need to know what we do when we spend time together, or that I want to spend as much time with you as possible."

“I haven’t agreed to that yet,” said Roque, swatting his hand away and crossing his arms.

Alex laughed and had to resist the urge to play with Roque’ hair again; his hair and ears were so soft. “I didn’t say you had, I just said I was hoping to.”

“Be friends or date me?” asked Roque.

Alex blushed, startled by the sudden directness and scratched the back of his head, unable to meet Roque’ eyes. “I mean, either,” he muttered, glancing at Roque for a second before his embarrassment made him look away again.

“And what if your parents find out?” Roque pressed. “And you know it couldn’t ever go anywhere...I’m prey, Alex. And I don’t want to say anything bad about your parents because I work for them, but plenty of the preds I work for are voting for a candidate that hates prey, so I keep my mouth shut about that because I need the work and I don’t want a fight. But I get the feeling people voting him don’t really like prey much themselves.”

“Look, I know some preds who are voting for him are...well, shitty to prey, but my parents aren’t that bad. I mean, they wouldn’t want me dating prey, but...” He shifted where he sat, just getting more embarrassed having to talk so candidly. “I mean, I’m definitely not voting for that stuck-up bag of hot air.”

"You really mean it when you say 'either'?" Roque softly asked, staring at him. "Not like pretending to be my friend because you're hoping eventually I'll sleep with you, and then getting mad when I don't..."

Alex was finally able to meet Roque’ eyes again as he shook his head with a smile. “Of course not. I like you whether you sleep with me or not. I honestly don’t care whether you want to date me or just be friends.” He grinned, trying to lighten the mood again. “I’ll be disappointed if you don’t want either, but I still won’t get mad or try to force you or anything.”

“You didn’t exactly seem to get the no the first two times,” said Roque. He turned away and picked up his pizza again. He ate in silence until he’d finished the slice. He reached for a drink, and once he was finished  he turned to look at Alex. After a long pause he said, “But me saying no...it’s not because I don’t like you. I do, you seem really cool and attractive but...I guess I’m just worried about what other people think. There’s also the job and the fact that you’re older than me. And you have to admit, we’re from pretty different worlds. Even though you’re not like I expected… it would be tough to make it work.”

Alex chuckled awkwardly. “ Look, I get that, and I agree, it sucks. There's not much we can do to change those things, I’m sorry to say,” h e sighed, looking at Roque quietly for a minute. 

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about that stuff a little the past week,” he admitted with a shrug. “But, I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? I’m not going to tell my parents, so you’re not going to lose this job. We can be careful about where we go and who finds out, so if it turns out we’re too different, we can break it off. Besides, I’ll be going back to school at the end of summer, and we won’t have to see each other  if we decide to call it off. ”

 

“That’s sounds fair, but what if it gets messy?" Roque bit his lip and looked down for a moment. "I've always had to be the responsible one. At least of the younger siblings and I always liked being responsible. Doing what I'm supposed to do. Working hard. Not messing around...and here I am messing around and considering doing something I know is probably very stupid.”    
  
Roque took a deep breath and then suddenly sprang to his feet. He jumped up so fast it startled Alex, but when he looked up he was grinning. 

  
“But...gosh, you’re just so...wonderful!" Roque bounced on the balls of his feet, like his body could barely contain his excitement. "I know all the reasons I should say no but all the same I really, really want to say yes. You seem like a really great guy and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested, I guess I've just been trying to come up with reasons why it would be bad to date you, and I didn't really think it would be good for either of us to consider why it might be worth a try. I've been trying to think of you as nothing but an asshole when you're going out of your way to be polite and considerate. And.. I am sorry about that, because it's not fair to you to make those kind of assumptions."

Alex considered his next move for a few moments before reaching out to gently take a hold of Roque’ hand with a smile. “We can take it slow, one step at a time. Shouldn’t get too messy as long as we’re careful.” He chuckled a bit. “I can’t help but wonder what all the wrong reasons you thought up were, though. You didn’t think I was going to try to eat you or anything, did you?”

“What? No...well that wasn’t near the top of my list.” Roque blushed harder, looking at their hands instead of Alex’s face. “I was afraid you might have some kind of maid kink and you’d want me to dress up in a sexy outfit and clean or… I don’t know, I don’t know how kinks work!”

Alex had to laugh, lightly squeezing Roque’ hand. “Come on, I’d wait until we’re a little further along in our relationship before I’d start trying to get you into sexy costumes for me,” he joked with a wink.

Roque smiled sheepishly. “Well...you know what I mean? Right? There’s a lot of stereotypes. Submissive prey maid fantasies or the fact I look like a bunny and everyone just assumes bunnies are easy -- hell prey in general are only interested in one thing. I guess I was worried that you wanted me because of what I am or what you thought I was instead of who I was...And I guess worrying about that was kind of stereotyping you  as a overly aggressive and demanding pred, and I’m sorry for that.”

Alex slowly managed to quell his laughing, just looking at Roque with a big smile. “Nah, don’t worry about it.  That just means we both made a lot of incorrect assumptions, huh? And we can both do better now. Just know that it doesn’t matter to me that you’re prey or that you clean houses, I just thought that you were attractive when I first saw you, and talking to you has made me like who you are underneath.”

“Well, I still feel bad for not waiting to see who you are underneath before judging you,” Roque said. “So maybe I can make it up to you. How about a date? If you still want to take me out sometime.”

Alex’s ears immediately perked up with excitement. “Yeah, of course! I’d love to!” He took a breath to try to soothe his excitement and stay calm. “Any time you’re free.” 

Alex’s tail thumped against the leather chair as it wagged in unbridled happiness, but Roque only grinned. If Roque wasn’t embarrassed by him, then Alex wasn’t going to be embarrassed. Maybe instead, they could just be happy.

“Well, free is going to be the tricky part,” said Roque with a sigh and a shrug. 

Alex shrugged, enthusiasm undiminished. “Most of my friends are out of town, so I have pretty much nothing on my calendar. Any time you have a couple hours to go out, I’m free to take you.”

Roque smiled at that. “Thanks for understanding. Huh, this will be cool. Like actually having a real summer vacation. Even if it’s just for a bit.” Ven 

Alex was silent a moment, wondering just how much it was acceptable to pry. “What kind of summer vacation do you usually have? You work a lot?”

“Work, yeah, and study,” Roque said with a casual shrug. “I don’t think I’ve had a real vacation since I was fifteen. Even before that I had to help babysit my younger siblings. Once I could work a real part-time job, I spent every free moment trying to earn money so I could save up for prep classes for pre-college entrance exams and then college entrance exam. I did pretty good on the tests my Junior year, but decided to retake it in the fall anyway. The higher you score the better chance you have at a scholarship. Then this summer it’s as much work as possible to save up for next fall.”

Alex gave a low whistle. “Wow, impressive. My parents would love to have you as a kid instead of a lazy delinquent like me.” He quickly rethought what he said, realizing he didn’t want Roque to get a bad impression of him after all of this. “Not that I get in a lot of trouble, I just don’t do what they expect from me.”

“What do you do then?” asked Roque.

Alex sighed a bit as he shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time doing what they’ve planned out for me. Boarding school, tutoring, music lessons, sports, summer camps, volunteering for whatever causes they’ve deemed will look best on resumes and school applications. Before I moved out to college, I spent pretty much all of my time trying to get out of whatever they had planned out to make me a better, more productive representative of the family.”

“So is boarding school like in Harry Otter?” Roque asked, head cocked slightly “And summer camp sounds fun.”

Alex had to chuckle again. “Uh, a bit? Half of the teachers are either Snape or Umbridge. Most of the students are stuck-up and catty. So, Hogwarts minus the interesting and dynamic characters, but with about the same chance of dying.” He shrugged again. “As for camp, it depended on the counsellors and whether I got along with the other campers. Some of them were only fun when a group of us were sneaking away from group singing to hike and eat snacks we stole from the kitchen.”

Roque laughed lightly and grinned at Alex. “Hiking and sneaking out sounds fun. I’ve never done anything against the rules, well except maybe ignoring ‘no skateboarding’ signs. Were there s’mores at camp?”

Alex smiled, remembering the fun times. “Yeah, but since high school, it’s been test prep camps, so fun is pretty much impossible. I guess neither of us have had a fun summer in a while. But, yeah, at the fun camps, we always had s’mores at least once during the summer.”

“Test prep camp?” Roque asked. “Like those super expensive ones with the individual tutors and intensive study? I’m actually kind of jealous. I basically had to live at the library studying out of books.”

Alex shook his head softly. “Yeah, those. I wish you could’ve had that chance instead of me. They suck when you don’t want to be there.”

“Poor you.” Roque shook his head wistfully then smiled. “But you’re right, we haven’t exactly put the break in summer break. Maybe we should have s’mores sometime? I’ve never had real s’mores, like over a fire. Just microwave s’mores.”

Alex paused and look at him with surprise. “Really? Never? Damn, I’m going to have to fix that! We’ve got a fire pit out back, and I’m going to have to make sure I get you real, perfectly fire-toasted s’mores! I’m a bit of a pro at them.” He winked.

“What? Now?” asked Roque. 

Alex shrugged, unconsciously scooting to the edge of the couch. “If you’re up for it. Why not? I can find what we’ll need in no time.”

“All right,” said Roque. “If you’re sure that starting a fire in the backyard is a good idea.”

Alex beamed. “I may not have a lot in the way of work ethic and useful skills, but if there’s one thing I can do, it’s setting a fire without burning anything I don’t mean to.”

Roque blinked at him. “You weren’t almost arrested for arson at any point right?” He stood to follow him. 

“Oh, god, no,” Alex laughed.

He led Roque out to the back yard and made quick work of lighting a fire in the fire pit, He left Roque to babysit the building flames while he ducked back into the kitchen to collect the crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. Soon, he had some marshmallows toasted and sandwiched, and he held one out for Roque. “Here you go, hope it’s absolutely perfect.”

Roque took it. ”Thanks,” he took the sandwiched treat gingerly between his thumb and index fingers. He took a big bite, well as big as he could fit in his relatively small mouth. As he bit down, sticky molten marshmallow and melted chocolate got all over his face and hands.

“It’s good!” he said after he swallowed. “I like the crispy bits and the sort of fire taste.” He continued to eat, licking his fingers when he finished.

Alex beamed, keeping himself from laughing at the mess Roque was making on himself. “Told you I’m good at s’mores,” he teased, putting some on a plate for he and Roque to share before taking one for himself. “They’re the perfect summer treat, right behind ice cream.”

“I love ice cream,” said Roque. “My friends and I used to take odd jobs during the summer to save up pocket money and we spent most of it on ice cream bars. The last summer I had free we tried to save up to go to the beach, but I lost it…” he sighed, licking off more marshmallow before continuing. “I was mugged and it wasn’t my fault, but I think everyone kind of blamed me. Then I turned sixteen and I got busy. I don’t really get to hang out with them as much anymore.”

Alex’s smile faded slightly from Roque’ story. He felt an instinctive urge to ask if Roque was okay, but that seemed a bit excessive, so he pushed it down. “I had a friend I used to buy ice cream with, too.” He chuckled and shook his head. “But we did some stupid things and kept getting in trouble and drifted apart.” He gave Roque a playful nudge with his elbow. “Maybe some time this summer we can get all of our friends together and all go to the beach.”

“That would probably be a weird group,” said Roque. “It would be fun to go though. I’ve never seen the ocean, but I want to. That seems like a very summer thing to do.”

Alex grinned. “I’d love to take you sometime, then. Everyone should get the chance to spend a summer day at the beach!” 

But he couldn't help thinking how much fun it would be if just the two of them went, spending the day together under the sun. He reminded himself, though, that they only had a couple months before summer would end, and finding the time would be hard if Roque was as busy as he seemed. “It’ll probably be tricky, but I’m sure we can figure out how to make it happen. We have plenty of time before summer’s over.”

“I have a feeling you're going to have me doing all kinds of things I've never done before ,” said Roque. A moment later he blanched, realizing what he’d just said and the implications he’d inadvertently made. A deep blush spread over his face as Alex cackled, nearly choking on his laugh. Alex had to refrain from pushing the sexual angle to avoid making Roque uncomfortable, but  _ man _ , it was tempting.

“I mean...like road trips and beaches,” Roque clarified hastily. “I’ve never done those things and I’ve certainly never done anything like sneaking out and doing things behind my parents back.  You know, I think you might be a bad influence."

Alex laughed, taking a bite of his own s'more. "Don't knock it til’ you try it. We'll have to wai t and see what kind of bad boy I turn you into before summer’s over.”


	6. Roque

Roque opened the window and took a deep breath. He wasn’t dressed  _ too  _ nicely. It shouldn’t be super fancy on a first date right? Besides, he didn’t own many dress clothes and he didn’t want to risk ruining them scaling the side of a building. He’d settled on his least worn out pair of jeans, the ones with only a few holes around the bottom and in the back pocket, and a plaid button down shirt over a plain t-shirt.   
  
“What are you doing?” asked Zeru.    
  
Roque jumped. “Going out...don’t tell? Or if our parents ask where I’m at...say the library?”   
  
“Roque, we’re almost eighteen, I don’t think they’ll care and it’s probably less suspicious if you just go out the front door.”   
  
“Oh, but this way I can pretend to be him and cover for him,” suggested Ortzi.   
  
“Yeah but then where are you supposed to be?” Zeru pointed out.   
  
“Well, in the movies people go out the window,” said Roque.    
  
“That doesn’t seem safe,” Zeru said, “where are you going anyway?”   
  
“To hang out with friends,” said Roque. “I don’t know, it’s my last summer before becoming an adult. I guess I wanted to do something teenager-y.”   
  
“I think teenagers are allowed to use the door,” said Ortzi. “At least in the middle of the day.”   
  
***   
  
He’d arranged to meet Alex by the nearest skatepark and then go from there to wherever. He stood on the rounded corner of the street. The park was behind him, and he was tempted to move further into it where the thin trees offered some shade. The sidewalk was hot, even through the soles of his well-worn shoes. A little further in, past the dead grass that formed the corner of the park there was softer greener fields that might be cooler on his feet. But then if he moved into the park he might be harder to spot.

  
“I am meeting with a guy I barely know, without telling anyone and going with him to a secondary location and I’m not even sure where that is...” he muttered to himself. He was breaking every rule of stranger danger.

Then a car pulled up in front of him. Roque heard the click of the car door unlocking. The window rolled down and he saw Alex leaning over. 

Was he wearing makeup?

Yeah, that was definitely eye-liner. He’d really gone out of his way to look nice. He wasn’t formal, but it was clear he put thought into his outfit. Through the window Roque saw the top of a black printed tee that he couldn’t quite read under a black jacket with decoratively tattered seams and unnecessary zippers.

“Hey. Sorry if you were waiting a while,” said Alex. “Ready to go?”

Roque opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat. “Nice ride,” he said, reaching for his seat belt. 

He glanced over at Alex, taking in his full look. Along with the shirt and jacket he wore skin-tight black pants. He’d have to get a better look once they got out of the car. They seemed to have large pockets, chain details and decorative belts below the knees. 

“It was a present from my parents for getting my driver’s license. I’m pretty attached to it, so I try to take good care of it,” Alex said as he pulled the car back out into the road.

“That’s really nice of them,” said Roxa, and added – after a brief pause, “getting you a car.” He didn’t really know much about cars. Better change the subject. He looked over at Alex. “Aren’t you hot?” He then realized how that could be interpreted. “Wearing a jacket I mean.”

Alex laughed and winked. “I’m always hot,” he joked. “You get used to it after a while.”

“Well, you look good.” It wasn’t an idle complement either, Alex really did look great. Roque wondered if maybe he should put more effort into this. So far he’d really only seen Alex straight out of bed or the shower. Roque had to admit, he looked good in makeup. Alex was pretty either way and the perfectly winged eyeliner only enhanced the effect.

Alex  cast a quick glance at Roque and gave him a smile. “Thanks. So do you.” 

Roque shook his head. “You don’t have to say that,” he said. “I’m pretty casual. I feel underdressed now. Where are we going anyway?”

Alex laughed. “Hey, come on, I mean it! You look good!” He smiled and shrugged. “It’s a surprise. All you need to know is it’s outside of town and there shouldn’t be anyone who’ll recognize us.”

“Uh…that’s not very specific,” he said, not that he was planning on telling anyone where he was anyway. Damn it...this is how you ended up on missing persons lists. 

“That’s the point of surprises, you know.”

“I guess,” said Roque. His heart was racing though. A sort of queasy feeling had settled into the pit of his stomach. Maybe he was just a bit car sick? He looked out the window. “We’ll be back today right?”

 

Alex laughed again. “Yeah, of course. You don’t think I’m abducting you, do you? Don’t you trust me even a little?”

“If I didn’t trust you I wouldn’t be in the car with you,” said Roque, “but a surprise outside of town could mean anything. Like surprise, we’re going to a Pawaii.”

Alex shook his head. “Man, what goes on in your head? You’ve got a wild imagination; you can’t drive to a Pawaii. We’re just going somewhere a bit more private where we can hang out without getting caught by anyone who knows us.’

“There will probably still be people who will look at us,” said Roque. “Um...have you ever been out with anyone like me before?”

“Well...not exactly,” Alex admitted. “I mean, I’ve been out with a couple guys who are pretty small like you which got us some double-takes from strangers, but I’ve never actually dated a prey before.” He smiled and glanced at Roque again. “But I don’t really care if people look at us funny.”

_ Must be nice, _ thought Roque but he also thought better of snarking at him. Maybe he should be happy Alex wasn’t ashamed of it. “So what kind of music do you like?” he asked, hoping maybe listening to the radio would save them from any awkward silence.

Alex shrugged. “I’ve been listening to a lot of indie stuff lately. I have a friend who’s a musician, so we’re always meeting new local bands when I go with him to events and stuff, and I usually like their music. Other than that, I like pop, rock, sometimes some rap and heavy metal, depending on who it is.”

“Your friend’s a musician? That’s really cool,” said Roque. “Do you want to put something on?”

Alex smiled and shrugged. “You can turn on the radio if you want. My hands are a little full right now, and I’d like to hear what you’re into, too.”

“Oh, yeah...heh right,” he forced a smile, even though he felt stupid. Alex was a safe driver it seemed, not fiddling around, even to start some music. Roque blushed as he reached for the radio dial.

“My biggest driving vice is speeding,” Alex admitted, “But only when I’ve got an empty road to go along. I don’t dodge around traffic at sixty miles an hour or anything.”

“I should be grateful I’m in such safe hands,” said Roque. A car like this probably could handle like in a movie, weaving and speeding. He was glad Alex played it safe.

Alex chuckled. “Yep, I’ll take good care of you.”

Roque forced a smile at the assurance. ‘ _ I’ll take good care of you,’ _ could be ominous if the person secretly had bad intentions. He hated himself for thinking it. The point of this was about giving Alex a chance, getting to know him and not being judgmental.   
  
It’s just they were in Alex’s car, heading out of town to some out of the way location and no one knew where he was or who he was with and if he disappeared, everyone would say it was because he hadn’t been careful and should have known better. 

_ He’s not going to eat you. He’s been nothing but nice. Give him a chance. Stop acting like panicky prey. _

He paused on a song he liked. “Is this ok?”

Alex smiled and nodded at the song choice. “Yeah, that’s good. I like this one.”

Roque’ smile became real when Alex approved of the song. “When I was fifteen I used to listen to this album on repeat whenever I was upset.”

Alex beamed and looked at Roque for a moment again. “That's cool. I spent a year or so listening to it way too loudly in my room whenever my parents pissed me off. They hated those songs."

“Wow, you too? Well, I had to use headphones, I don’t have my own room,” Roque admitted. “So I just blocked out the world with music and sometimes I wished I could just go and walk until the world didn’t feel so small and I didn’t feel so trapped.”

Alex sighed softly, though a faint smile lingered on his face. "That was a daydream of mine, too. To just find somewhere in the world that my parents' shadow can't find me. It's probably a miracle that I never did run away." He chuckled again and wistfully shook his head.

“They seems so nice,” said Roque. Well...aside from their political preferences. They did seem to love Alex though. “Did they keep you locked up?”

Alex laughed as he shook his head. "Oh, no, nothing like that. They're nice enough. Just...stifling. You know, they expect me to be the kind of person they think will well-represent the family and they’ve never given me much of a say. Like, they would let me choose if I want to be a doctor or a lawyer or a financial advisor or whatever, but everything I do has to be approved by them." He paused for a moment then laughed. "Actually, they did lock me in the house a few times when I snuck out to have fun. They tried just grounding me, but I found ways to sneak out until they put locks on the windows."

“Man, that does sound frustrating. Is that why they sent you to boarding school?” asked Roque. “My parents never did anything like that to me. I mean, I never did anything to get in trouble but I never had to worry about that. No one’s ever expected anything from me. The only thing keeping me in my room was...fear I guess.”

"Yeah, that and they hoped trapping me with a bunch of rich, snotty students and stuck-up teachers would improve my grades and work ethic." Alex laughed again. He hesitated as he looked at Roque once more, smile falling. "Fear of what?" he asked gently.

“I don’t exactly live in a safe neighborhood,” said Roque. “And sharing a small room with two other guys can get a bit cramped. It’s seven of us in a three bedroom place...a very small three bedroom place. Some nights I just wanted to take a walk, be alone for a bit. But...someone like me walking alone in the warrens....sometimes people just go missing.”

“You’re from the warrens?”

“Oh...um, yeah,” said Roque, ears drooping. “I thought you knew or assumed. Kids from nice neighborhoods don’t usually work cleaning services, you know.”

Alex was quiet a moment as he shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought about it, honestly. It… Well, I don’t really care where you live.”

Roque smiled at that, looking down a moment, ears lifting. “Thanks,” he said with a shrug, “it’s nice of you to say that. But yeah, the city’s most infamous public housing project isn’t exactly the safest place to take a walk, especially since it’s mostly prey and anyone who wants to mess with prey… well, they know where to look, you know? Down there your parents sort of teach you to be careful.”

"Oh..." He focused on Roque out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry. That sounds rough..." He was quiet again for a minute, looking back at the road ahead. Roque started to wonder whether he’d said too much when Alex took a deep breath and smiled again. "Well, I'm grateful that you stayed safe."

Roque found himself smiling. "Thanks," he said, "and um...thanks for not saying anything about me being from the warrens. Sometimes if I say where I'm from people are like 'the warrens?' Like it's shocking. Then I worry that maybe they don't think of me the same way after that, you know?"

Alex smiled a bit more and shrugged. “I don’t really care where you came from. Finding out where you’re from doesn’t make you any different in my eyes.” He suddenly blushed a little, smile falling as his jaw clenched slightly.

Roque felt warmth flood his chest at Alex’s words, smiling at the sight of his blush. “It feels like, even though we’re from pretty different backgrounds we have a lot in common.”

Alex smiled ever so faintly again, though he continued to blush. “It does, doesn’t it? Quite a stroke of fate that we got to meet.”

“Yeah,” said Roque, “I’m glad we got to meet. Even if I think I probably scared you that first time.”

Alex laughed. “A little, yeah, but that wasn’t your fault. My parents should have warned me that someone would be in the house.”

“I wouldn’t have minded a warning that someone was home,” Roque echoed, “although the fact we managed to startle each other probably makes it less embarrassing for you.”

Laughing again, Alex shrugged. “Maybe a little, but it’s still embarrassing.” He paused as he looked around to double-check the streets they were passing. “Anyway, we’re almost there.”

Roque looked around. “I have no idea where we are...”

Alex pulled off into a parking lot and into a parking space. “I guess you’ve never been to this area. You travel out of town much at all?”

"My only transportation is a skateboard and the bus," said Roque. "Except for work, then I get to use a company car. Which I technically should have returned the other day when we were hanging out, but I figured, I was scheduled to have it until five anyway and it's not like I went joyriding. Really, when you invited me to stay and I decided to say yes I just forgot about everything for a bit.”

Alex turned towards Roque with a soft laugh. “I’m really making you break all of the rules, aren’t I? Good thing I like bad boys,” he teased, winking. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. “Let’s go find a place to sit and eat. It’ll be more fun to talk in the fresh air with some food.”

Roque got out, a bit confused. This was some sort of park? Like the kind that of park that didn’t have anything in it except maybe trails and nature. “You know I don’t just eat grass right?” Did Alex think he did? “And even if I did what would you eat?”  _ Please don’t say you, please don’t say you. _

Alex laughed again, but it sounded kind of forced. Roque felt bad suddenly, despite his fear, like he’d just hurt Alex’s feelings and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Even though part of him was kind of terrified.

“Come on, I’m not that dumb,” said Alex, lightly. He opened the rear door to pull a small cooler out of the back seat. 

“Oooh, a picnic,” said Roque, he immediately blushed, ears dropping flat behind his head. 

“Yeah,” Alex said, “I hope you liked what I packed. I would’ve called you to ask what kind of food you liked but then I realized I have no way of getting in contact with you to ask.”

“Oh, it’s so sweet of you to make something. I’m sure I’ll like whatever it is.”

“I hope so,” said Alex. “I may or may not have spent an embarrassing amount of time looking into what kind of food you might like.” He laughed and scratched the back of his head with an air of embarrassment. “I nearly spent more time researching for this date than I had for any test I’ve ever taken.”

“That’s so...nice,” he said, “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m really dumb. I just expected a restaurant and then there was a field and I was...confused.” He bit his lower lip and looked down.

Alex chuckled warmly and, hesitating, put a hand on Roque’ shoulder. “No worries. We’re less likely to draw attention to ourselves out here, and, besides, it’s nice and peaceful. A good place to just spend time together.”

“It is really pretty,” said Roque, appreciatively. He looked over the field of summer flowers, and then smiled up at Alex. “Thanks for packing lunch, that was really sweet.”

“No need to thank me until we find out whether I made something you actually like.” He patted a pocket on the side of the cooler. “I have a blanket in here, so let’s find a nice spot to sit.”

“Yeah! Maybe a hill where we can watch the sunset later...although it’s summer so I guess we won’t be here that late. I’ve never been out here before so how about you lead the way?”

Alex beamed and shrugged. “We can stay as late as you’d like, I don’t mind staying to watch a bit of the sunset.” After a moment’s consideration, he lightly laid his arm across Roque’ shoulder, biting his lip to stop himself from grinning, and led him along one of the paths to find a nice hill.

When they found a spot Roque helped spread out the blanket and took a seat. “It really is pretty here,” he said. “Thanks for taking me.”

Alex smiled as he sat and set down the cooler. “No problem, I’m happy to be out here with you. Thank you for agreeing.” He took a couple containers from the cooler as well as a some water. “I, uh, made a dandelion salad and some fruit sandwiches. I hope you’ll like them.”

Dandelions? Roque cocked his head to the side. But he didn’t want to be rude. “Thank you,” he said, it really was sweet of him to make stuff. He looked at that salad. “It’s beautiful!” he exclaimed, and not at all like a lawn. Greens and purple flowers? Clover? Then he saw the sandwiches. Pretty white bread filled with what looked like cream and slices of bright colored fruit. “It’s wonderful!”

Alex blushed with pleasure. “Thanks. I survive mostly on fast food when I’m at school, but I like making stuff when I have the chance.” He got out a couple of plates and forks for the salad. “Here, help yourself.”

“I’m surprised you like salad,” he said, “I know you’re not really a wolf, but I thought...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume.”

Alex shrugged. “Depends on the salad. I do usually eat more meat, but...well, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“Alex, I’m a herbivore not a vegan. I don’t care if you eat birds or seafood. I just eat plants because that’s what I eat.”

Alex smiled again. “Fair enough.” He chuckled. “See, I’m making my share of assumptions, too. Don’t worry, I get plenty of people who are surprised when I tell them that I love fruits and that avocados are my favourite food.”

“Do a lot of people assume you’re a wolf or a fox or something?” asked Roque. 

Alex as he nodded. “Oh yeah, constantly. Unless they know my family, I’m lucky if anyone actually figures it out, even when I’m in full animal form.” 

“That’s something else we have in common, then. People assuming we’re something we’re not.”

He smiled at Roque. “I’m honestly surprised we keep finding more things that we have in common.”

“Yeah, we’re like completely different and somehow exactly the same,” said Roque. He took a bit of the salad, the dressing was sharp and gingery. “This is really good,” he said, savoring the texture, crispy cabbage and savory greens and soft, slightly sweet bits of clover blossoms.

“Thanks, I’m glad you like it.” Alex took a little of the salad and one of the sandwiches for himself. He let them eat in silence for a minute before turning back to Roque. “You’ve mentioned skateboarding a couple times. That something you like to do?”

“That’s something I love to do,” said Roque, “when I have time.” He held up his arm showing a checkered armband. “At some point I’m gonna buy a new board and maybe some skate shoes.”

“That’s cool,” he said. “Any particular stores you like?” He smiled at him and his tone made Roque pretty sure he was fishing for information to buy him gifts. Hopefully not immediately. They were not at expensive gift buying level yet. Although the thought was nice.

“A few,” he said, keeping it vague.

“What does the armband mean?”

“Um...I don’t know actually...” he’d never really thought about it. “Just that I like skateboarding I guess. Sort of fashion thing.”

Alex laughed softly. “Fair enough. Sometimes fashion’s just fashion.”

 

“Like wearing a black jacket in the middle of summer?” teased Roque.

 

Alex was quiet for a minute, turning a bit pink, then laughed and scratched the back of his head, steadily blushing darker. “Uh… Yeah, fair enough.” He looked away to take a drink of water then looked back at Roque with a grin. “I just know that I look good in black, and I wanted to look good for our first date. Don’t you like it?”

 

Roque blushed fiercely and looked away. “I love it,” said Roque. He looked back at him. “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable on my account. But...wow...you really care that much about what I think?”

 

Alex shrugged and his grin became a softer smile. “Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t ask you out if I didn’t care what you thought about me.”

 

“I’ve seen you in your pajamas you know,” Roque retorted. “I guess it’s lucky you don’t sleep in the nude. Then you’d really be embarrassed.”

 

Alex leaned his head back a bit as he laughed, shaking his head. “Come on, I wasn’t going to go downstairs buck naked, even if I slept nude. I didn’t know who was downstairs.” He smirked a bit and winked. “But you’re right about being lucky. If you’d seen me naked, you’d be the one chasing me around for a date,” he teased.

 

Roque blushed even deeper, ears flopping down. “So um...uh...you know what I’m into now. So w hat about you? What are you into? Or did you ever have a chance to be into anything?”

Alex sighed and shrugged. “I managed to find stuff to be into when I snuck out with friends. I was interested in graffiti for a while, and I don’t mean spray painting ‘fuck the police’ on a store window, but, like, real graffiti art. Didn’t get a chance to grow any real artistic talent myself, but I still sketch sometimes when I’m bored in class or relaxing in my dorm.” Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Just don’t tell my parents that I’m wasting my time with ‘low art.’”

“That’s really cool,” said Roque, “I’d like to see your art sometime.”

Alex scratched the back of his head, blushing a little. “Well, you know, they’re nothing that great. But maybe I can find some of the better ones to show you next time you come over.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” said Roque. “Although, when I’m there to work I really should be doing my job. But maybe we can hang out again. If you like graffiti art there’s a bunch around the warrens if you ever want to come down. I could show you around?”

Alex smiled down at his lap. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot. I know you probably don’t want to bring me around your house, but it’d be nice to see your neighborhood.” He finally looked back at Roque with a grin. “Maybe you can show me some skateboarding, too.”

“I’m not that great,” said Roque, blushing as he rubbed the back of his head, “it’s mostly just to get around, but sure, maybe...”

Alex laughed. “Okay, now you’re just repeating what I just said.” Momentarily biting his lip, he looked down at Roque’ hand briefly before reaching out to lightly take a hold of it. “But I guess it’s a date. You tell me next time you’re free, I’ll bring some drawings, you bring your skateboard, and we’ll take a walk together.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Roque. “Wasn’t the point of you taking me way out here that no one could possibly see us together? If we’re just walking around the inner city we could be spotted, you know?”

Looking down at Roque’ hand again, Alex shrugged. “You know your neighborhood, I’m sure you know where to go where there won’t be people around.” He chuckled. “I don’t want to tempt fate, but how bad could it be if someone happens to spot us walking around?”

“Things are tense right now, you know?” said Roque. “I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about you.”

“Tense how?”

“Everyone is on their guard. With the election and everything. You heard the latest, right? Talk about taking prey kids away from their parents and putting them in institution. What if that means, like, cages or something?” 

“That’s not gonna happen,” said Alex, “Everybody knows he’s not gonna win and besides, both candidates are basically the same anyway. Politics will go on like usual. And what does that have to do with what people think of me?” 

“They’ve been warning us to be careful,” said Roque, “the usual careful stuff we’re supposed to do anyway. Don’t go anywhere alone and all that.”

“Well, you won’t be alone, you’ll be with me.”

Roque had to laugh at that. “I don’t think that’s what they meant.”

Alex smiled and shrugged again. “Still, so what if someone does get the wrong idea about me? I don’t care, I’m probably not going to have to deal with whatever assumptions they come up with, and I won’t let them mess with us -”

“So, we’re an us?” 

Alex blushed again, but he stayed smiling this time. “I mean, I hope so. As long as we’re hanging out together, I think using ‘us’ fits.”

“Oh...huh...right,” Roque blushed to the tips of his ears. Right, no need to get ahead of himself. They were just hanging out. One date and now planning a second date. That didn’t make them boyfriends yet. But he didn’t mind the idea that they could be boyfriends. He liked the sound of ‘us.’

 


	7. Alex

Alex was even more nervous driving out to Roque’ neighbourhood than he had been taking Roque to their previous date. This seemed more personal, much closer to home. He was also rather nervous about the drawings he had neatly folded in his pocket. He had spent nearly the entire time since their last date deciding which ones to show Roque.   
  
Absently chewing at his lip, he found a place to park where he and Roque had decided to meet and got out, looking around for Roque.

Roque was waiting, skateboard in hand, wearing a modded hoodie with the sleeves cut short and the hood up. He waved at Alex when he approached. Looking up to grin at him.

Alex grinned back with relief when he spotted Roque and jogged over to him. “Hey!” He looked him over. “What’s with the hoodie? I thought you were against jackets in summer.”

“I’m also against anyone who knows me seeing us together, especially my brothers. Because even if you won’t have to deal with any assumptions, I will.”

“Right, well, if that’s how you’re comfortable. So um...hope you weren’t waiting too long?” He felt the urge to pull Roque into a hug, but so exposed to anyone who may be near, he knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to even ask permission, so he stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them to himself.

“Not long at all,” said Roque. He set his skateboard on the ground. “Ready to go?”

“Lead the way, skater boy,” Alex said with a wink.

 

* * *

 

The mural spanned every inch of the alleyway wall, and it wasn’t the only one. This alley led to another and each new turn brought new art lining the bricks. Alex couldn’t tell if it was one artist combining different subjects from scifi to sunflowers or if it was an unplanned collaboration with different people adding to the canvas of bricks.    
  
“Pretty cool, huh?”

Alex's eyes lit up when he saw the murals, his smile expanding as he walked along at Roque' side. "Yeah, these are incredible!" He paused after a little while to step a little closer to the wall, looking up at the mural in front of him. 

“I like that there are just beautiful things in the world,” said Roque, “you know, just randomly beautiful things. Flowers in sidewalk cracks and art on walls. Even in places like this, concrete and old brick buildings. It’s dirty and run down, but you can still find things to make you smile.”

Alex glanced back at Roque as he spoke, his words making his chest feel warm quite suddenly. Biting his lip for a moment, he stepped to Roque’ side and took his hand. “What a beautiful way of seeing the world,” he murmured, squeezing Roque’ hand and turning slightly towards him. The mural was forgotten when Roque looked up at him, blushing a little, and their eyes met again. With his free hand, Alex pushed back Roque’ hood then lightly touched his cheek.

Roque smiled softly, his lips quivering, as if hesitant or nervous. “I thought you were here to look at art? You seem more interested in looking at me.”

Chuckling, Alex shrugged and cocked his head slightly, leaning a little closer without realizing it. “I like looking at the wall, but you’re more…” He paused, trying to find the perfect word, “compelling.”

“Compelling?” Roque turned away. “That’s kind of a weird thing to say.”

"I came here to see beautiful things and the wall's great, but I've got something even more spectacular right in front of me. When I look at you, well, that's a work of art."

Roque blushed and laughed at the same time, shaking his head. “Do you use that line, often? Get boys in front of murals and then compliment them?”

“Oh, come on,” said Alex. “I really do like this stuff.” He gestured to the wall. “I wish I was that good, and I really can’t tell you how glad I am that you brought me out here. Honestly, I 'm a little jealous you get to live so close to this." He looked at Roque with a grin. "Thanks for showing me."

“Well, if you want to trade places,” Roque teased. “I wouldn’t mind having my own room, or a swimming pool.”

Alex laughed and winked. "Well, I could give having a big family a try, but I can't guarantee that I could handle it. If it's a swimming pool you want, though, you can come by for a swim any time my parents are out."

“I don’t actually know how to swim,” Roque admitted. “It just seems like it would be fun...”

Grinning, Alex raised an eyebrow. "You don't? Well, in that case, you can come by and I can teach you. I'm not the best swimmer, but I can manage a doggy paddle," he joked, playfully nudging Roque with an elbow.

“Hey!” Came a sharp voice. “Roque! This guy bothering you?” 

Roque turned to see Harrison  standing at the mouth of the alleyway, with Patrick , and Olivia  standing close behind him.

Alex's ears perked up at the sound of a shout and he looked to the end of the alley. There stood a group of teens, two boys and a girl. He couldn’t tell exactly what sort of animals they were, although the girl had ears sort of like a rabbit. From the boy’s accent, he’d guess they were Australian. The chubby guy’s ears were sort of rounded and the tall guy, the one who spoke, sort of reminded him of a bigger, pointier eared rat. Not kangaroos or koalas as far as he could tell, and that was as far his knowledge of Australian folks went. Some sort of marsupial prey. 

His hands tightened into fists which he quickly stuffed in his pockets as worry tightened his stomach. "Friends of yours?" he asked under his breath, leaning a little closer for Roque to hear him.   
  
The trio started walking towards them, the boy at the front staring at Alex with suspiciously narrowed eyes. "Do you need help?" the girl called, looking between Alex and Roque.

Roque’s ears drooped. They shouldn’t have come here... So much for keeping their relationship a secret, or at least keeping that they were hanging out a secret.    
  
“No, no, it’s fine,” said Roque. “He’s cool. We’re cool.”

Alex tried to put on his friendliest, least threatening smile as all three looked him over for a good few seconds, seemingly not entirely convinced. "Hey. The name's Alex. Roque was just showing me the graffiti around here."   
  
The boy at the front looked back at Roque with a raised eyebrow, looking like he had a lot of questions. "Really? Where'd you two meet?" He seemed to still be expecting Roque to say that he needed help.

Roque sighed and bit his lip. Whatever they were going to think about him or say about this, it couldn’t be good. “I met him through work,” he said with a shrug. “We’ve been hanging out. It’s no big deal.”   
  
“He’s a dingo,” said Harrison .   
  
“I think he’s a fox,” said Patrick .   
  
“He’s a maned-wolf,” said Roque.   
  
“That’s not much better,” said Olivia . “Roque, are you sure you should be hanging out with a wolf?”

Alex crossed his arms, jaw clenching a bit. There were many things he wanted to say, but he didn't want to put Roque in a difficult situation with his friends or, worse, risk word of their little foray spreading. "Come on, I don't mean any harm. We've hung out a couple times, so if I wanted to hurt him, I would've already," he said, doing his best to smile again.   
  
Olivia  lifted her chin a bit and stared him down. Even though she was a prey and much smaller than him like all of the others, Alex had little doubt that she'd attack in an instant if she thought he was an immediate threat. "Why would someone like you want to hang out with someone like us?"   
  
Alex shrugged a bit. "We talked a bit and he seemed like a cool person."   
  
She sighed a bit and looked back at Roque. "This could still be trouble. For both of you."   
  
"Why haven't you told us?" Patrick  asked.

Roque crossed his arms, defensiveness building. “It’s not exactly like we hang out much anymore,” he said, “you don’t need to know everything I do-” Roque stopped himself and grimaced. He obviously hadn’t meant to say it like that. He sighed heavily. Closing his eyes for a minute… His voice was softer when he spoke again.  “Look, I’m sorry for snapping...I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d freak out and considering you’re all freaking out, I think that was reasonable.”

Olivia  and Patrick  both looked away slightly, seeming a little embarrassed. Harrison  sighed and scratched the back of his head a bit. “Yeah, fair enough. You just surprised us.”   
  
Olivia  looked back up with a soft smile. “Sorry for overreacting. We worry about you sometimes when we haven’t seen you in a while, though we’re usually more worried that you’re overworking yourself.”

Roque laughed at that. “Fair enough. Alex’s parents are one of the families I clean for and he’s back in town for the summer and doesn’t really know anyone around here. So we’ve been hanging out. He’s an artist so I thought he might appreciate some of the art around here.”

“Oh,” said Patrick . “So are you getting paid to be his tour guide?”

“What? No,” said Roque. “Alex’s cool and I wanted to hang out. It’s not that weird. Anyway, how have you guys been since graduation? Did you manage to save up enough for the beach trip?”   
  
Olivia  sighed and crossed her arms at Roque’ question, looking pointedly at Harrison . “Well, we were planning on that, but someone lost his job, so it got a bit hard.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, looking at Harrison  more sympathetically. “Maybe we could all pull funds and do it as a road trip. Alex mentioned he wouldn’t mind driving to the coast sometime.”

The trio of marsupials looked at each other and Roque bit his lip. Alex winced, feeling the tension spike right back up. He wasn’t the most sensitive, but he was starting to get really good at picking up on when a prey was uncomfortable with him as a pred. Despite wanting to smooth things over with Roque' friends, he had no intention of stepping back from hanging out with him either. So he kept quiet and gave no excuse as to why he wouldn't be able to come along with them to the beach.

  
“Well, uh...that could work,” Olivia  offered anxiously. “But, you know, we’ll have to talk it over.”   
  
“Yeah, we’ll have to get back to you on that,” Harrison  agreed, crossing his arms a bit, shooting a quick look at Alex.

Roque forced a smile and shrugged. “It would be nice if we could all do something together before school starts. And uh...could you guys maybe do me a favor and not mention that you saw me and Alex...I don’t want my parents to...take it the wrong way?”

Harrison  gave Roque a half-smile. “Yeah, you’re right.” He cocked an eyebrow and grinned teasingly. “And we won’t tell anyone, but if you keep being sneaky like this, we’re going to get suspicious about what you’re really up to.”   
  
“Promise you’re not joining a gang or anything,” Patrick  joked.

“Yes, I’m joining a gang of giant preds? As what exactly? A party snack? You know me, I’ve never done anything out of line.” 

The trio laughed. 

Roque continued. “I just wanted to have a bit of fun this summer and Alex’s pretty fun.”

“Are you saying we’re not fun?” asked Harrison . 

“No,” said Roque. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to hang out with you. I was just hanging out with Alex right now. And if you want to talk to me about it, I guess we can meet up and just talk...” It wasn’t really fair to push his friends out of his life. 

 

“You know you can call us up to hang out or chat whenever you want,” said Harrison , “About anything, even if you did join a gang.” He smiled lightly.

 

Roque gave a soft smile. “Thanks, I - I’ll remember that. But seriously, you don’t have to worry about me. Speaking of gangs, is Simon ’s crew still giving you guys trouble?”

  
Olivia  laughed and shook her head. “But of course they are. Not as much as they used to, but they still somehow show up where we’re hanging out to be jerks sometimes.”   
  
“You know Simon  has no life outside of being a bully,” Patrick  added.

“And Roque normally has no life, period,” said Harrison . “So why don’t we see you around more?” 

“It’s just time,” said Roque. “I guess Alex is better at being a bad influence. Since I see him twice a week anyway. I do his house more than any other client...his mom is kind of scary.”

Alex snickered, grinning to himself. “What are you saying about my mom?” he asked with mock offence. He agreed to a degree, but now he was curious to hear it from Roque’ perspective.   
  
Olivia  and Patrick  suddenly looked a little worried, as if Alex might be genuinely mad.

“Most people have a cleaning service come once every other week, so twice a month. She has us come twice a week...I honestly feel a bit sorry if she was this much of a neat freak when you were growing up.” 

Alex had to laugh as he shook his head. “Oh yeah, she’s been like that my whole life. I kept my bedroom door closed 24/7 to keep her out when I was a teen. When I was younger, she was poking her head in every day and telling me to clean up. And don’t even get me started on how much she nitpicked when I cleaned around the house. Wasn’t allowed to eat anywhere other than at the kitchen table until I was at least fifteen.”   
  
“And now you get someone to clean up after you, that must be nice,” said Harrison . 

Alex wasn’t sure if Harrison  thought he was spoiled, but he couldn’t exactly argue. 

“I don’t really clean up after him,” said Roque. “Just basic cleaning, you know. And the pay is decent.” 

“Right,” said Harrison . An awkward silence descended and Alex wasn’t sure if he should try to fill it. These kids didn’t seem like they really wanted to be friendly with him. Jumping to all the worst conclusions the moment they saw him. But no one ever talked about how judgmental prey could be. No, predators were always the bad guys. 

For Roque’s sake he’d be nice. Even if he wished they could just get back to being alone together. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to show Roque his drawings yet. No way was he showing anything in front of a crowd of pretty hostile-seeming prey. What were they exactly? It was kind of hard to tell just from the ears, but he wasn’t rude enough to ask. 

He wondered how he could get alone time with Roque again, without coming across as suspicious.. If they were this upset about Roque just hanging out with him, he didn’t want to think about how they’d react if they knew he and Roque were dating. So he had to really think hard about how to casually get them to leave without making them even more suspicious of him. Maybe it was too late for that. He wasn’t sure there was anything he could say that wouldn’t make them suspect what was really going on, or worse, that Alex really was planning on eating Roque.

He figured he didn’t have much choice other than to let the afternoon play out. Maybe he would even have to leave on his own accord before things escalated and try to think of another way to get to spend more time with Roque. One where they wouldn’t get interrupted, where he wouldn’t have to share Roque’ attention and Roque wouldn’t have to be worried. He’d just have to find a way for them to get some privacy. He could do that.

For now, it was probably better not wear out his welcome with Roque’s friends. Even if they were the ones interrupting the plans he’d made with Roque. “Hey Roque, I think I’d better head out.”

“What?” he asked. “But you just-”

“Well, it sounds like you haven’t had a chance to catch up with your friends in a while,” said Alex. “I don’t want to take up all your free time. And you know, I’ll see you around.” He turned to go, but Roque trotted after him.

“Hey, wait up,” he said, “At least let me walk you to your car.”

“All right,” said Alex, shrugging. He continued to walk, hands in his pockets. He hoped he wasn't coming off as a jerk. Like he was throwing a tantrum because he didn’t have Roque to himself. That wasn't it. It was just awkward to be where he clearly wasn’t wanted.  

Once they were away from the others he said, “I don’t think your friends like me very much.”

“They were just surprised?” suggested Roque. “I mean, it is a little weird, hanging out with-”

“A predator?” Alex supplied. 

“Someone I clean the house for…”

“You clean the house for my parents,” said Alex, “and I’m not them. And I really don’t think that’s the issue. They thought I was harassing you.”

“Come on, Alex, it’s not personal. They saw me with a stranger. They wanted to make sure I was all right. I don’t think they’ve ever seen me out with anyone before...Well, to tell the truth I haven’t been out with anyone before - Maybe it was a bad idea to come here.”

“Are you worried they’ll tell your parents?” asked Alex.

Roque groaned... “Things could get awkward,” he said. “But I’m an adult, almost...I’ll be going to college in the fall. So regardless of what my parents think, I can make my own choices. Hang out with who I want to hang out with. And I can’t exactly avoid all preds, next year most of my classmates and professors will be preds.” 

Alex hadn’t thought about that. He wondered what that must be like, being the only one like you in a class. Being an outsider. There were more prey than predators in general, but when it came to good schools it was majority pred. The same went for certain jobs, and positions of power. There’d never been a majority prey congress or a prey President.

That could change soon, of course...or they could get the most anti-prey candidate in decades. 

_ Why was he thinking about this? _ Alex didn’t like thinking about politics much. He wasn’t even registered to vote because he didn’t see how it could really make that much of a difference. 

Better to focus on his own life.

When they reached the car he stopped and turned to Roque. “Here,” he said reaching in his pocket and fishing out the drawings. “A few of my sketches. You can give them back when you see me next. Let me know what you think.”

Roque took the piece of paper but before he unfold it to look Alex was already in the car. He started the engine and pulled out, speeding away. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm curious to see if a given story gets more hits as an original work or as a fanfic. This started out as a fandom based AU rp and if being simultaneously published as a fanfic. But since the story has nothing to do with the source material, I wanted to see how it was received outside the fandom as an original work.


End file.
